BCCI set to rope in replacements after third cricketer gets ruled out of the England series

The Indian side under the captaincy of Virat Kohli is going to rub shoulders with England in a five-match Test series starting from August 04. However, troubles have already started dropping in as three players have got injured so far. Firstly, Shubman Gill suffered a stress injury and got ruled out of the series. In the latest turn of events, Avesh Khan and Washington Sundar got ruled out of the important series.

Both Khan and Sundar suffered injuries while playing in the warm-up game in Durham. Both the players played their part from the County side and now BCCI is looking to rope in replacements for the England series. Earlier, BCCI were not keen on calling replacements but as the number of injuries has touched three, the Indian board looks certain to be on the safer side.

“It is a conscious decision on part of BCCI. Earlier when it was just one opener (Gill), the Board decided there were two options available in KL Rahul and Abhimanyu Easwaran, but now a good all-rounder and an upcoming pacer both have been ruled out. Given the length of the tournament, BCCI have now decided to send in replacements,” said BCCI official as quoted by The Times of India.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar could be in the mix too, says BCCI source

It has also been reported that young batter Devdutt Padikkal and experienced pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar might get a call for India’s series against England. Both the players are currently in Sri Lanka for the white-ball series against the home team. While Padikkal is yet to get a game with India, Kumar is plying his trade as a Vice Captain in the series. India won the ODI series 2-1 as the last ODI slipped out of their hands while many new faces were given chances to open their accounts.

“Probably why Rahul Dravid decided not to play Devdutt Padikkal despite considering five replacements for Friday’s game. Bhuvneshwar Kumar could be in the mix too, considering he can bat and can be effective in English conditions,” the source added.