Tragedy struck before the 2nd Match between India and New Zealand as both the camps were plagued with injuries. According to a recently released news by the BCCI Twitter handle, Indian cricketers Ishant Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane and Ravindra Jadeja have been ruled out of the second test match against New Zealand at the Wankhede. All three injuries occurred during the final stages of the first match at the Green Park in Kanpur and all the players have been advised to sit out the match at Mumbai as a precautionary measure.
Major Injury Concerns Ahead Of India Vs New Zealand 2nd Test Match
According to the report, Ishant Sharma had dislocated his left little finger during the final day of the 1st test match in Kanpur. He is thus ruled out of the 2nd Test Match in Mumbai. The BCCI medical team will continue to monitor the progress of the 33-year-old seamer. In addition to this, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja suffered a right forearm injury during the 1st Test Match at the Green Park. After undergoing scans, he was diagnosed with a swelling on his forearm. As a result, Jadeja has been ruled out of the second test and advised to rest given he’s one of the most quintessential players for India across formats.
However, the most surprising name coming out of the lot was one Ajinkya Rahane. According to BCCI’s report, Rahane suffered a minor left hamstring strain while fielding on the final day of the 1st Test Match. Given that Rahane’s recovery process hasn’t been completely finished, the Mumbai-born has been asked to sit out the 2nd game in his home ground. The curious case of Ajinkya Rahane adds more spice to the mix as it was expected that Rahane was about to be dropped from the second test match following his string of low scores. These are fairly radical changes and it’s anyone’s guess which ones are tactical and which are meritorious. However, the severity of his condition is not ours to speculate. We wish all our Indian heroes a speedy recovery ahead of the crucial tour of the Rainbow Nation in December.
Also Read: Virat Kohli Press Conference ahead of 2nd Test Match
Kane Williamson Ruled out of 2nd Test, Tom Latham to lead New Zealand
The injury woes weren’t restricted to just one camp as India’s rivals New Zealand suffered a major blow as well. As reported first by Cricbuzz, New Zealand’s skipper Kane Williamson has been ruled out of the 2nd Test Match following an injury to his left elbow. The severity of his injury is not yet clear although it is understood that Williamson suffered the blow during the 1st Test at the Green Park. Williamson’s services will be greatly missed by the Kiwis. He is one of the top-5 batters in tests and also led New Zealand to win the WTC Finals against India back in June. Tom Latham is expected to be handed over the leadership duties of the Blackcaps. Latham previously led New Zealand to a 1-0 series win against England in June earlier this year.
Also Read: India vs New Zealand 2nd Test Match Preview
Changes in the Playing XI
With Rahane out of the squad, it is expected that Suryakumar Yadav will be making his debut in Tests. The 31-year-old has had a wonderful year thus far, getting his maiden T20Is and ODI caps earlier this year too. It is expected that Mohammad Siraj will be swapped in for Ishant Sharma as a like-to-like replacement. However, Jayant Yadav may be expected to fill in the huge shoes left by Ravindra Jadeja. In addition to this, it can be presumed that one of Daryl Mitchell or Glen Phillips can be brought into the New Zealand Playing XI for the unavailable Kane Williamson.
That being said, TheSportsLite wishes all the cricketers a speedy recovery so that they can all get back to the field and do what they do best.
List of all major injury concerns ahead Of India Vs New Zealand 2nd Test Match
| Player | Country | Injury | Expected Replacement |
| Ajinkya Rahane | India | Left Hamstring | Suryakumar Yadav |
| Ravindra Jadeja | India | Right Forearm | Jayant Yadav |
| Ishan Sharma | India | Left Little Finger | Mohammad Siraj |
| Kane Williamson | New Zealand | Left Elbow | Glenn Phillips/Daryl Mitchell |
