Picture Credit: Twitter
India were dealt with a major blow when their captain Rohit Sharma injured his left thumb while attempting a catch in the second ODI on Wednesday (7 December). Although Sharma came to bat and played a blistering knock of 51* (28), he did not look comfortable. The captain confirmed there is no fracture, but head coach Rahul Dravid revealed that Rohit will fly back to India seeking experts’ advice on the injury.
Resultantly, Sharma has been ruled out of the third ODI set to be played on 10 December. The Indian captain is doubtful for the two-match Test series as well. "Rohit will certainly miss the next game, fly back to Bombay, consult with an expert and see how it is and whether he can come back for the Test matches or not, I'm not sure. It's too soon to say that," Rahul Dravid said in a post-match press conference.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has not released any official statement regarding Rohit’s injury and him being ruled out but the Indian captain is certain to miss the rest of the games on the Bangladesh tour.
Meanwhile, it’s reported that Abhimanyu Easwaran will replace Sharma in the third ODI and the two Tests to be played after the ODI series. “Abhimanyu Easwaran set to be called as skipper Rohit Sharma's cover in Chattogram,” tweeted PTI’s Kushan Sarkar.
Few more changes on the line
With captain Rohit Sharma, Indian pacers Kuldeep Sen and Deepak Chahar were also ruled out of the third ODI. While Sen did not play the second ODI with issues with his back, Chahar walked off the field with hamstring problems after bowling only three overs. While there is no update on who will replace this two in the Indian squad for the third ODI, there is an update regarding possible changes to the Test squad.
As Mohammed Shami is doubtful with an injury, Mukesh Kumar and Umran Malik are in line to replace the veteran pacer for the two Tests. Meanwhile, Saurabh Kumar, who has had a prolific run for India A on their tour to Bangladesh, can be called in as Ravindra Jadeja’s replacement who is also down and out with injury.
