Indian captain Rohit Sharma has been ruled out of the 3rd ODI match against Bangladesh as he suffered a thumb injury during the 2nd ODI match of the ongoing series. Rohit was attempting to take a catch at the second slip, but he failed to complete it and in the process, he ended up hurting his thumb. He was taken immediately off the ground and was rushed for the scans.
Though, he didn’t field after getting injured on the fourth ball of the second over, but he came out to bat at the no.9 position and played a stunning knock with his dislocated thumb. He tried his level best with his unbeaten 51 runs from 28 balls, but it all went in vain as team India lost the game by 5 runs. This was the first bilateral ODI series defeat of Rohit Sharma as Indian captain.
After the end of the game, Indian head coach Rahul Dravid confirmed that Rohit is out of the 3rd ODI match and will fly to Mumbai to consult a specialist.
“Rohit will certainly miss the next game, fly back to Bombay, consult with an expert and see how it is and whether he can come back for the Test matches or not. I’m not sure. It’s too soon to say that (he`ll be fit for the Tests or not),” Dravid said in the post-match press conference.
Rohit also addressed the injury issue and said that he had some dislocations and some stitches. If reports are to be believed, then the 35-year-old might even miss the Test series, which is slated to begin on December 14 at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chattogram.
Meanwhile, as things stand, Rohit Sharma will be replaced by Abhimanyu Easwaran, while KL Rahul will be leading the Indian side in Rohit’s absence.
“Abhimanyu Easwaran has scored back to back hundreds in ongoing A Test series and is an opener. In all likelihood, he will join the squad in Chattogram after finishing his second A Test in Sylhet,” a senior BCCI source told news agency PTI on conditions of anonymity.
For the unversed, Easwaran had a tremendous season with the bat for Bengal and India A. He marvelous ton against Bangladesh A in the first unofficial Test and got better in the second Test with 157 from 248 deliveries. While Easwaran might come in as Rohit’s replacement but it will be KL Rahul and Shubman Gill, who will be seen opening the innings for team India.
