Now, ahead of the dead rubber, the visitors have received a massive blow as their captain Rohit Sharma, seamer Kuldeep Sen and swing bowler Deepak Chahar, all have been ruled out due to their respective injuries, confirmed India head coach Rahul Dravid.
Rohit had suffered a blow to his left thumb while going for a catch in the slips during the second ODI. He immediately left the field and didn’t return. The Mumbaikar came out to bat at No. 9 with stitches on his hand. He did his best to take the game to the wire but couldn’t win it for the tourists.
Expectedly so, Rohit will not be available for the third and final ODI and is also doubtful for the Test series as well, which commences on December 14 and is part of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2021-23. Further, Chahar hurt his hamstring and could bowl only three overs during the contest, while Sen wasn’t part of the playing XI due to a stiff back.
After the second ODI, India coach Dravid confirmed the developments regarding the trio in the post-match presser. He said that Rohit would travel to Mumbai to consult a doctor and see whether he would be fit enough to come back for the Test series.
“Kuldeep, Deepak and Rohit will certainly miss the next game. Kuldeep and Deepak are out of the series, Rohit as well 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. But all three of them won’t play the next game for sure,” said Dravid.
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