India dented by three injury blows ahead of the Mumbai Test.
Indian team was hit by injuries ahead of the second Test in Mumbai after vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane, fast bowler Ishant Sharma and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja were ruled out with injuries sustained during the first Test in Kanpur.
Rahane who stood in for Virat Kohli in Kanpur, but was underfire for his lack of runs in the last two years. Ishant has not been very impressive with the ball as well in recent times with niggles hitting the veteran seamer. Virat and Mohammed Siraj are likely to replace the experienced duo.
Jadeja's loss would probably hit the team the hardest as he's a formidable all-round cricketer particularly in home conditions. It will be interesting to see how the team copes with his loss. They have the option to pick batter Suryakumar Yadav, or one of spinning all-rounder Jayant Yadav or seamer Prasidh Krishna.
BCCI release said: “Fast bowler Ishant Sharma dislocated his left little finger during the final day of the 1st Test match in Kanpur. He is thus ruled out of the 2nd Test in Mumbai. The BCCI Medical team will continue to monitor his progress.
All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja suffered a right forearm injury during the 1st Test match in Kanpur. After undergoing scans, he was diagnosed with a swelling on his forearm. He has been advised rest and is thus ruled out of the 2nd Test in Mumbai.
Ajinkya Rahane sustained a minor left hamstring strain while fielding on the final day of the 1st Test match in Kanpur. Since he has not recovered completely, he has been ruled out of the 2nd Test in Mumbai. His progress will be closely monitored by the BCCI Medical team.”
Start of the match was delayed due to heavy rain in the last two days in Mumbai which left the outfield in a wet state. Next inspection at the time of writing this is set for 10:30 AM IST.