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Rinku Singh is ruled out of the 2nd and 3rd T20Is against England due to a back spasm.
Rinku Singh has been ruled out of the next two games due to a back strain.
In a major blow to India, lower-order batter Rinku Singh has been ruled out of the second and third T20Is of the ongoing five-match series against England due to a back spasm. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has named batting all-rounder Ramandeep Singh as the replacement.
“Rinku Singh sustained a low back spasm while fielding in the 1st T201 against England on 22nd January. He is progressing well and the BCCI medical team is monitoring him closely. He is ruled out of the 2nd and 3rd games of the ongoing 5-match T201 series,” the BCCI said in a statement.
It’s an equally big setback for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batter, given he had been deprived of international chances of late. He was in good form leading up to this T20I series and was part of the 11 in the first match at the Eden Gardens but didn’t get a chance to bat as India won by seven wickets.
India will also miss all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy for this second T20I, with the all-rounder picking up a side strain. Shivam Dube has been named as his replacement but he’ll likely be able to join the team only before the third T20I. Ramandeep would almost certainly join the team in Rajkot as well.
This means India will need to dig deep in its reserves to get backups for the two crucial lower-order positions. Washington Sundar and Dhrv Jurel are the only two with match-finishing abilities on India’s bench but an inclusion for Mohammed Shami or Harshit Rana for Reddy can’t be ruled out either.
There’s a huge cloud over Abhishek Sharma, the top-scorer in the first T20I, too. He reportedly twisted his ankle, was in serious pain, and missed a nets session in Chepauk on the eve of the match. If he’s also injured, India might be looking at at least three changes for the second T20I.
India’s updated squad for England series
Suryakumar Yadav (C), Axar Patel (VC), Sanju Samson (WK), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammad Shami, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Washington Sundar, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Shivam Dube, Ramandeep Singh.
