Star batter likely to be ruled out of England series due to injury
India (Image Source: BCCI)
The star Indian batter of the Indian team, Ajinkya Rahane has suffered a grade III hamstring injury in his latest outing in the Indian T20 League 2022. As a result of the injury, Rahane is set to miss India’s tour of England in June-July this year. Notably, he has already lost his place in the playing eleven owing to poor form. Players like Hanuma Vihari and Shreyas Iyer have replaced Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara in the playing eleven in Test cricket. But because of the injury, Rahane might not even be a part of the touring party.
Speaking of Rahane’s injury, he got the unity during Kolkata’s last match against Hyderabad on 14th May. He is expected to leave the Kolkata bio-bubble by end of today. According to sources within the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Rahane will be reporting at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. He will be undergoing rehabilitation for about four weeks at the NCA. This will bring an end to a not so decent Indian T20 League season for Rahane, where he scored 133 runs in seven matches.
The national selectors of India will have a greater headache in putting together the squad, or rather headaches for the upcoming assignments than the unavailability of Rahane. Immediately after the ITL 2022, South Africa will be visiting India for a five-match T20 series. The Chetan Sharma-led selection committee will have to put together two squads, one for the T20 Series against South Africa and another for India’s tour of England.
Experts are of the opinion that the regulars of the team like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul, Mohammed Shami, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, and Cheteshwar Pujara will be touring England, while a younger squad comprising ITL 2022 sensations will be taking on South Africa at home. Players like Ruturaj Gaikwad, Umran Malik, Mohsin Khan, Tilak Varma, and Avesh Khan are expected to get playtime in the series. While there will also be the presence of experience in players like Shikhar Dhawan, who is expected to lead the team.
