Indian cricketer Abhimanyu Easwaran will reportedly replace Ruturaj Gaikwad, who has been ruled out of the South Africa Test series with a finger injury. Gaikwad did not play the third ODI between India and South Africa in Paarl.
The right-hander suffered a finger injury during the second ODI when he missed a catch at the slip cordon while fielding. He did not recover in time to join the team for the third ODI and was eventually ruled out of the Test series.
The BCCI medical team issued a statement after an assessment and also confirmed that he would not be fit in time to participate in the Test series.
“(He) has not fully recovered from the blow he received on the ring finger while playing in the second ODI. He remains under the supervision of the BCCI medical team,” the BCCI stated before the start of the third and final ODI on Thursday.
Reports are now emerging that Easwaran is more likely to replace Gaikwad in the Indian Test team or the two-match Test series. The batsman scored crucial runs in the intra-squad practice game to give an idea of his talent. Sarfaraz Khan also scored some runs while Shubman Gill scored a ton and Yashasvi Jaisal scored a fifty.
Rohit Sharma will lead the Indian team in the Test series. He has taken a break from white-ball cricket alongside Virat Kohli and the senior duo will return to the Indian team in the Test series.
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Meanwhile, Easwaran has been a veteran in domestic cricket and has scored tons of runs year after year. The prolific batsman has scored over 6500 first-class runs and almost 4000 List A runs. He is also inching closer to 1000 T20 runs in domestic cricket. Overall, he has scored almost 10000 runs in domestic cricket but is still waiting for his first Test, ODI and T20I title for India.
Abhimanyu Easwaran dreams of playing for India
Easwaran was a substitute in the 2021 Indian WTC final team. India. The Bengal batsman is currently with the Indian A team touring South Africa. Speaking to PTI recently, Easwaran said that his only dream is to play for India and he will continue to push for it.
”Playing for the country is the ultimate goal of any player who picks up the bat or the ball. People talk about me as an Indian cricketer, but I haven’t made my debut yet. I hope that happens soon,” Easwaran said.
“I only have one dream: to play for my country. I won’t give up so easily. I’ll keep pushing for it. I’ll make sure I’m well prepared for it. I hope to play for the country soon,” Easwaran said.
The batsman was ruled out of the Vijay Hazare Trophy with a split membrane. He hopes to be fit when the first test begins. The inaugural Test between India and South Africa will begin on December 26 at the SuperSport Park in Centurion.
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