Due to a wrist problem, Indian batsman Ruturaj Gaikwad will not play in the three-match T20I series against New Zealand at home. One of the potential openers in the upcoming series, Gaikwad, experienced soreness in his wrist and was transferred to the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru for more evaluation and treatment.
The Ranji Trophy was where the 25-year-last old’s game for Maharashtra was played. Before being struck by the wrist problem, he scored 8 and 0 in his most recent match versus Hyderabad. This is not the first wrist issue Gaikwad has experienced. He had earlier been replaced by Mayank Agarwal in the T20I series against Sri Lanka last year after being ruled out for a similar reason.
Gaikwad, who played in his first T20I in July 2021, has 135 runs for India in nine 20-over internationals with a strike rate of 123.85, including a half-century. India is unlikely to appoint a replacement, which enhances the likelihood that Prithvi Shaw would take guard against the new ball in his absence.
The T20I series, which gets underway on January 27 in Ranchi, India will be captained by Hardik Pandya in the absence of many regulars, most notably Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Mohammed Shami. The following matches will be held in Ahmedabad (January 29) and Lucknow (February 1).
An encouraging development is that the BCCI anticipates making a determination about all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja’s fitness on February 1 after obtaining a report from the NCA. Jadeja made a strong comeback to athletic competition, scoring seven runs for Saurashtra against Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy.
Jadeja has been making progress since he was forced to leave the Indian team for the Asia Cup in September due to a chronic knee problem. After that, he had right knee surgery before arriving at the NCA for recovery. The talismanic all-rounder has been picked to the 17-player squad for the crucial Border-Gavaskar Trophy’s first two Test matches, which will determine India’s prospects of making the World Test Championship final.
The final decision will be made once Jadeja reports to the NCA following the completion of the Ranji match against Tamil Nadu, where he is included in the team subject to fitness.
Starting from February 9 in Nagpur, the four-match Test series against Australia will continue in Delhi, Dharamsala, and Ahmedabad.
