Team India skipper Rohit Sharma has been ruled out of the first Test against Bangladesh, starting in Chattogram on December 14. Rohit suffered a finger dislocation during the second ODI in Dhaka and subsequently missed the final ODI of the rubber.
Team India head coach Rahul Dravid said that Rohit’s participation in the red-ball matches would be doubtful and that the Indian skipper would fly back to Mumbai to ascertain the gravity of his injury.
KL Rahul, who captained the Men in Blue in the final ODI in Chattogram, will lead the side in the first Test in the absence of Rohit Sharma. Rahul has so far captained in only one Test and has lost that game.
#TeamIndia Test team is here 🏏 #BANvIND pic.twitter.com/65jpP7RoZP
— BCCI (@BCCI) December 12, 2022
Meanwhile, Abhimanyu Easwaran, who has been in spectacular form, has been called up as a replacement for Rohit Sharma. Easwaran scored 141 in the first A Test and hammered 157 in the second unofficial Test against Bangladesh A. He has been on the sidelines for quite some time now, scoring tons of runs in the domestic circuit.
Navdeep Saini replaces Mohammed Shami in India’s squad
Fast bowler Mohammed Shami and veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja have also been ruled out of the series. While Jadeja is yet to recover from his injury, Shami suffered an injury just ahead of the ODIs. He was earlier ruled out of the three-match ODI series against Bangladesh as well.
Navdeep Saini and Saurabh Kumar, who both played in the matches against Bangladesh A, have replaced them. Kumar was in excellent form against Bangladesh A, returning with 15 wickets, including two five-wicket hauls.
The first Test begins on December 14 in Chattogram followed by the second and final Test that will kickstart on December 22 in Dhaka.
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