Ishant Sharma suffers ankle injury, doubtful for New Zealand tour

Veteran Indian pacer Ishant Sharma has suffered an ankle injury while playing for Delhi in the Ranji Trophy against Vidarbha. This has put his participation for the New Zealand Test tour in doubt which will undoubtedly be a major blow for India.

Also read: Ishant Sharma: Dark horse turned leader of the pack

In what could be described as a freak occurrence, Ishant injured his ankle while appealing for an LBW decision against Vidarbha captain Faiz Fazal. Sharma will now undergo further MRI scans to determine the extent of the injury. The Indian selectors are set to name the squad for the Test series in New Zealand in a few days and Ishant’s selection was a certainty, being a key member of the fast bowling unit.

The team management will now closely monitor his recovery. The hope will be that Ishant has only twisted his ankle, instead of it being a case of a fracture.

On Ishant’s injury, a source in the Delhi camp said as quoted by Cricbuzz:

“The injury looks really bad. His ankle is swollen. Hope it’s not a fracture. He has been taken for an MRI. Most probably, the National Cricket Academy (NCA) will take over his recovery and rehab from here.”

Ishant was all set to depart for New Zealand by February 6. But with a serious injury at an unfortunate time, his status for the tour is in serious doubt.

India’s two-match Test series against the Kiwis will begin on February 21st. This will be preceded by a 5-match T20I and three-match ODI series.