Kolkata: What’s wrong with the Indian cricket team? There are too many injuries and the list is only growing. The latest to join the injury list is Ajinkya Rahane who will miss the Mumbai Test against England and the last one in Chennai due to injury, according to NDTV. Manish Pandey, who scored 75 for Karnataka against Saurashtra in Group-B Ranji Trophy match followed by a half-century, will replace Rahane in the team.
“The BCCI medical team confirms that India batsman Ajinkya Rahane sustained an avulsion fracture on his right index finger and has been ruled out for the remaining two Test matches of the series against England. A ball stuck Rahane during the practice session today,” a release said. “Manish Pandey has been included in the team as a replacement for Rahane,” the release added.
And to add to India’s woes, Mohammad Shami too is ruled out because of a sore knee and he will make way for Shardul Thakur. “Mumbai medium pacer Shardul Thakur has been called as back-up for India pacer Mohammed Shami, who is nursing a sore knee. The BCCI medical team is closely monitoring his progress and a decision on his participation will be taken before the start of the fourth Test match,” the release said as per the report by NDTV.
There is no dearth of injured players in the squad and that includes Wriddhiman Saha, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and others. It remains to be seen what BCCI does to take stock of the situation. India has a lot to look forward to with Tests, ODIs and T-20 internationals against England and Australia coming up. If the injury scare is not taken care of then, it will have a huge effect on the team which is slated for a tough calendar ahead including the Champions Trophy scheduled in England next year.
But Shami and Rahane missing the all-important fourth Test at the Wankhede Stadium isn’t great news for the Indian team which needs to ensure a series win with a victory in Mumbai.