IND vs SA: Ruturaj Gaikwad Ruled Out Of Test Series With Finger Injury - Report

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Indian opening batter Ruturaj Gaikwad has reportedly been ruled out of the upcoming two-match Test series against South Africa after failing to recover from a finger injury.

Gaikwad, who has been named in the 15-member Test squad, sat out of the final ODI against South Africa on Thursday (December 21) due to 'doing some damage to his finger' as informed by the ODI captain KL Rahul at the toss.

Now, the Maharashtra player, who was among the four openers in the red ball squad, is set to miss the Test series, starting from December 26 at the SuperSport Park in Centurion.

According to a report from Cricbuzz, Gaikwad hasn't recovered from the injury, forcing the team management to release him before the start of the series next week. The 26-year-old had suffered the injury during the second ODI against South Africa at Port Elizabeth on December 19.

"(He) hasn't fully recovered from the blow he sustained to his ring finger while fielding 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.

The report further adds that it is unlikley that he recovers before either of the two Tests, and the team management, after consulting the BCCI, has decided to release him immediately and is expected to reach India this weekend.

As it stands, there is no official confirmation regarding Gaikwad's availabilty for the Tests. India, who have already named KS Bharat as replacement for Ishan Kishan, may name either Sarfaraz Khan or Abhimanyu Easwaran in the squad.

Also, Virat Kohli, who had flown back home for family emergency, is expected to return on Friday (December 22). The exact details on the emergeny is unclear, but Kohli left for Mumbai earlier in the week after obtaining permission from the team management and BCCI.

Kohli had missed the three-day intra-squad game that saw Sarfaraz and Easwaran make most of the opportunity, while Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah and Shardul Thakur also impressed.

After the Boxing Day Test ends on December 30, India and South Africa will lock horns in the second Test, starting from January 3, 2024 at the Newlands in Cape Town. Here is how the Indian Test squad looks as it stands:

India Test Squad For South Africa Tests 2023-24

Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ruturaj Gaikwad, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah (vice captain), Prasidh Krishna, KS Bharat (wicketkeeper).