In another ill-timed issue of fitness for India, Deepak Chahar has a stiff back that will force him out of the final two ODIs against South Africa. A BCCI media release said he will now head to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, where he will be monitored by the medical team. The extent of the injury or the timeline for recovery is not known yet.
Chahar’s issue gains greater significance given India play their first T20 World Cup game in Australia on October 23, and have already lost pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah to injury. They are yet to name a replacement for Bumrah, but Chahar was one of two fast bowlers named in the reserves, along with Mohammed Shami.
Spin-bowling allrounder Washington Sundar was brought into the ODI squad as a replacement. India trail South Africa in the series 1-0, so both remaining games are must-wins for them.
Chahar had already been out of action for six months this year due to injury. First, he tore a quadricep muscle during India’s T20Is against West Indies in February, then he picked up a back issue while undergoing rehab for the quad injury at the NCA. He missed the IPL that followed, and did not play again till India’s tour of Zimbabwe in August.
Updated India ODI squad: Shikhar Dhawan (capt), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer (vice-capt), Rajat Patidar, Rahul Tripathi, Ishan Kishan (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Shahbaz Ahmed, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, Mukesh Kumar, Avesh Khan, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar
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