IND vs NZ: Ruturaj Gaikwad checks into NCA after wrist pain casting doubt over his participation in T20I series

Young Indian top-order batter Ruturaj Gaikwad has checked into the National Cricket Academy (NCA) after complaining of wrist pain following his Ranji Trophy game against Hyderabad. The opener is part of the Indian squad that will take on New Zealand in a three-match T20I series commencing later this week. 

The 25-year-old failed to impress during Maharashtra's Ranji Trophy clash against Hyderabad after scoring just 8 and 0 in the two innings of the match. Although his side won the game fair and square, the batting ace complained of pain in his right wrist and revealed that he continued batting despite the pain.

Gaikwad informed the medical team of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) about his pain and checked into the NCA for further assessment. It is worth noting that he suffered a wrist injury last year, ruling him out of the T20I series against Sri Lanka in July. He was selected for the upcoming T20I series against the Kiwis after registering four tons in just five games in the Vijay Hazare Trophy recently.

If Ruturaj fails to recover from his wrist injury, the in-form Prithvi Shaw might get some game time in the upcoming series with Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul not being part of the squad. Apart from the stylish opener, middle-order stalwart Shreyas Iyer is also at the NCA after a back injury ruled him out of the ongoing ODI series against New Zealand. However, it will be interesting to see if he can recover in time for the much-anticipated Test series against the Aussies, commencing next month.

India's T20I squad for New Zealand series: Hardik Pandya (c), Suryakumar Yadav (vc), Ishan Kishan (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik, Shivam Mavi, Prithvi Shaw, Mukesh Kumar

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