IND v SL: Here's why Ruturaj Gaikwad isn't playing the 1st T20I

India will be looking to continue their dominant run in the shortest format as they face Sri Lanka in the first T20I at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow on February 24. Just moments before the match kicks off, the hosts have suffered a huge setback with one of their key players making himself unavailable for the contest due to an injury. The player in the discussion is the promising batter Ruturaj Gaikwad.

Gaikwad was all set to prove a point in the upcoming series, having got an opportunity ahead of an injured KL Rahul, who was ruled out of the West Indies and now the Sri Lanka T20Is due to an upper left hamstring injury while fielding in the second ODI against the Windies earlier this month. The CSK batter was warming the bench in the previous series.

Ruturaj Gaikwad to miss 1st T20I

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) took to their official Twitter handle and confirmed that Ruturaj Gaikwad complained of pain in his right wrist, which is affecting his batting as a result of which the Pune cricketer was unavailable for selection for the first T20I. Meanwhile, it was also added that he is being examined by the BCCI Medical Team.

UPDATE – Ruturaj Gaikwad complained of pain in his right wrist, which is affecting his batting. He was unavailable for selection for the first T20I. The BCCI Medical Team is examining him.@Paytm #INDvSL

— BCCI (@BCCI) February 24, 2022

It is indeed a huge setback for the Indian team after Deepak Chahar and Suryakumar Yadav were ruled out due to injuries. While Chahar sustained a right quadriceps injury, Yadav suffered a hairline fracture.

Coming back to the T20I series, India have opted to rest batting megastar Virat Kohli and wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant who will be back for the Test series. Sanju Samson has earned a recall into the side as a backup wicketkeeping option for Ishan Kishan and the series is expected to be a big opportunity for the youngsters. The Men In Blue would be hoping to register a third consecutive T20I series win by sealing this one.

India would also be hoping to avenge their away loss last year where they ended up conceding the series 1-2 from a position of strength as they had to field a third-string team due to the COVID-19 scare in their camp.