Rishi, Gurkeerat replace injured Bhuvneshwar, Rahane in T20 squad

A fractured left thumb has ruled Bhuvneshwar Kumar out of the T20 series against Australia. Rishi Dhawan will stay on in Australia as Bhuvneshwar’s replacement. Ajinkya Rahane also sat out the Sydney ODI with an injury, having split his webbing while fielding in Canberra. Gurkeerat Singh has been named as cover for Rahane in the T20 squad.

Bhuvneshwar picked up the injury while trying to stop a David Warner straight drive off his own bowling during the fourth ODI in Canberra. The injury forced him out of the fifth ODI in Sydney, with India picking the debutant Jasprit Bumrah in his place.

“The All-India Senior Selection Committee has named Gurkeerat Singh Mann in the India T20I team as a cover up for injured Ajinkya Rahane. Rahane split his webbing on his right hand while fielding in the fourth ODI at Canberra,” the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said in a media release on Saturday.

“Meanwhile, the BCCI medical team has confirmed that Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been ruled out of India’s tour of Australia after he fractured his left-hand thumb. All-rounder Rishi Dhawan has been included in the T20I team as Bhuvneshwar’s replacement,” it added.

India has been outplayed in the ODI series and will be looking to turn the tables on the home side in the shortest format of the game. The return of experienced players like Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina and Ashish Nehra augurs well for the team. The 3-match T20I series starts on January 26 (Tuesday) in Adelaide.

India T20I squad: Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni (C), Suresh Raina, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Harbhajan Singh, Umesh Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Rishi Dhawan, Ashish Nehra.