Indian skipper Rohit Sharma and pacer Navdeep Saini have been ruled out of the second and final Test of the series against Bangladesh to be played from December 22 at Shere Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka.
In a statement released by Board of Control for Cricket in India, Rohit is yet to recover from his left thumb injury which he sustained in the second ODI against Bangladesh earlier this month.
“The Medical Team is of the opinion that the injury needs some more time to heal completely before the Indian captain can bat and field with full intensity. He will continue his rehab and will not be available for the second and final Test against Bangladesh,” the statement read.
In addition, Saini has been ruled out of the second Test due to an abdominal muscle strain. Saini will go to National Cricket Academy (NCA), Bengaluru for rehabilitation.
In Rohit's absence, KL Rahul will captain the Indian team once again. Also, Shubman Gill will retain his place in the side as the opener after hitting his maiden century in Chattogram Test. India won the first Test by 188 runs on Day 5 after setting a massive target of 513 runs.
Saini's injury is unlikely to affect the team combination as India will pick either Shardul Thakur or Jaydev Unadkat if the team management opts for a third pacer in the playing XI.
India would like to continue their unbeaten run in Tests against Bangladesh. The win will also be crucial keeping World Test Championship (WTC) 2021-23 standings in mind. A win will help India retain the second position and increase their chances of reaching the final.
In order to ensure their spot in the second consecutive final, India need to win at least three of their remaining four Tests. After the Bangladesh series, India will face Australia at home in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Pat Cummins-led Australia are currently on top of the table with 76.92 win percentage.
India squad for second Test: KL Rahul (c), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara (vc), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), KS Bharat (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Saurabh Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat
