Injured Nitish, Arshdeep miss England Tests

Manchester

India all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy has been ruled out of the last two Test matches against England due to a left knee injury, the BCCI said on Monday. Reddy will return home for treatment, and the board wished him a quick recovery.

Reddy missed the first Test but played in the next two. While he had a quiet match in Birmingham, he contributed well with both bat and ball at Lord’s. His absence could see Shardul Thakur return to the playing eleven after missing the last two Tests.

Meanwhile, left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh will miss the fourth Test in Manchester. He hurt his left thumb while bowling during a practice session in Beckenham. The BCCI medical team is watching his progress closely.

To replace Arshdeep, Haryana pacer Anshul Kamboj has been added to the squad. He has already joined the team in Manchester.

India’s preparations for the fourth Test, starting July 23 at Old Trafford, have been further hampered. Fast bowler Akash Deep is also carrying an injury, while Jasprit Bumrah is managing a heavy workload and may play only one of the last two games. Bumrah, who featured in the first and third Tests, is expected to return for the fourth match after a short rest.

Rishabh Pant’s finger injury may also limit his role to batting only, with Dhruv Jurel likely to keep wickets.

England lead the five-match series 2-1 after winning the Lord’s Test by 22 runs.

BOX

India’s updated squad:

Shubman Gill (captain), Rishabh Pant (vice-captain), Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, and debutant Anshul Kamboj.