Ishant likely to miss NZ Tests, Dhawan out of limited-overs series
Pacer has suffered grade 3 tear in right ankle; opener hurt his shoulder in last match
New Delhi India and Delhi pace bowler Ishant Sharma has a Grade 3 tear in his right ankle, an MRI scan revealed on Tuesday, following the injury suffered the previous evening in the Ranji Trophy match against champions Vidarbha at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground.
The tall pacer twisted his ankle while turning around on his bowling follow through while making an appeal to the umpire, and fell writhing in pain. Delhi team manager Manoj Kapoor said the scan done at a Delhi cricket association-approved private centre in the Capital revealed the serious injury. Delhi team officials said the ankle twisted both ways, resulting in severe damage to the muscle and tissues.
A grade 3 tear is said to be as bad as a hairline fracture, and it has ruled him out for at least six weeks. Sharma, who has been in excellent form, is most likely to miss the two-test series in New Zealand, which begins on February 21. The Indian cricket board (BCCI) is likely to make an official statement only after a confirmatory scan is done under the supervision of the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru.
Sharma’s injury turned out to be serious on a day his Delhi teammate Shikhar Dhawan was ruled out of the New Zealand T20I series starting on Friday because of a shoulder injury. The opener injured the left AC joint, between the collarbone and shoulder blade, while diving to make a stop in Sunday’s final ODI against Australia.
“Ishant came today with his ankle bandaged and underwent treatment in the dressing room,” Delhi coach KP Bhaskar said after the third day’s play. Kapoor said Ishant will be able to go to
NCA only when he can walk properly. “He is not in good shape and is struggling to walk. Post treatment he may also need time for rehabilitation,” he said.
The 96-Test veteran has faced serious ankle injury in the past too. He underwent left ankle surgery in 2012. If he doesn’t get fit, Umesh Yadav is likely to be picked as the third pacer, behind
Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami. Young Delhi pacer Navdeep Saini could also come in as the fourth seamer for the Tests.
Sharma’s absence added to Delhi’s woes. Having conceded a 16-run first innings lead, the home bowlers toiled as Vidarbha scored 330/3 declared, setting a 347-run target. Delhi were 10 for no loss at stumps.
WRIDDHI ASKED TO SIT OUT RANJI TIE
BCCI has asked wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha to skip Bengal’s next Ranji tie against Delhi, starting on Sunday, to avoid any fresh injury concern. Saha has just recovered from finger surgery after being injured in the day-night Test against Bangladesh in November.
SUQADS: For T20IS:
Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma (vc), Sanju Samson, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant (wk), Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Navdeep Saini, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur.
For ODIS:
Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma (vc), Prithvi Shaw, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant (wk), Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Navdeep Saini, Shardul Thakur,
Kedar Jadhav.