India have been forced into a change ahead of their ODI series against England after an injury ruled one of their key all-rounders out of the three-match contest.
The selectors have named an experienced replacement as the team finalises its squad for the series beginning on July 14.
The BCCI has confirmed that MS Dhoni’s CSK star Shivam Dube will replace Nitish Kumar Reddy in India’s squad for the upcoming ODI series against England.
Reddy is yet to recover from the quadriceps injury he suffered during the third ODI against Afghanistan. As a result, the young all-rounder has been ruled out of the entire England series, while there is still no official timeline for his return to competitive cricket.
The injury has already forced Reddy to miss India’s T20I assignments against Ireland and England. He will now also sit out the three-match ODI series.
The 23-year-old was seen as a strong contender to establish himself in India’s ODI setup, especially with senior all-rounder Hardik Pandya currently recovering from injury at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.
However, Reddy’s recovery is taking longer than expected and reports suggest the team management want him to complete his rehabilitation before returning to action.
Reddy has also been left out of India’s squad for the upcoming T20I series against Zimbabwe, which begins on July 23.
His absence from consecutive assignments indicates that the selectors and medical staff are prioritising his full recovery rather than rushing him back into international cricket.
Shubman Gill (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (Vice-Captain), KL Rahul (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Gurnoor Brar and Shivam Dube.
The three-match ODI series between India and England will begin on July 14 and conclude on July 19. India will hope the experienced Dube can provide balance to the side as they prepare for another important assignment away from home.