DELHI: Ruturaj Gaikwad, the Indian batter, sustained an injury to his right ring finger during fielding in the second ODI against South Africa in Gqeberha.
This unfortunate incident led to his absence from the third ODI as he underwent scans, and following further evaluation by the BCCI Medical Team, he’s been ruled out for the entire two-match Test series set to commence on December 26th.
Gaikwad, 26, had a lackluster ODI series, managing only 9 runs across two matches. Despite his inclusion in India’s Test squad for the first time, his debut in the format remains pending.
In response to Gaikwad’s absence, the Men’s Selection Committee has appointed Abhimanyu Easwaran, 28, as his replacement. While Easwaran has been previously named as a standby player in India’s squad, he is yet to make his international debut.
The Test series between India and South Africa will kick off with the Boxing Day Test in Centurion, followed by the second Test scheduled between January 3rd and 7th, 2024, in Cape Town.
India’s tour of South Africa commenced with a T20I series that concluded in a 1-1 draw, followed by a three-match ODI series, where the visitors triumphed 2-1.
India’s Test squad comprises Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Abhimanyu Easwaran, KL Rahul (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Prasidh Krishna, and KS Bharat (wk).
Test schedule:
26 to 30 December 2023 – 1st Test, SuperSport Park, Centurion
03 to 07 January 2024 – 2nd Test, Newlands, Cape Town
