India have named replacements for injured duo Ajinkya Rahane and Bhuvneshwar Kumar ahead of the three-match Twenty20 international series against Australia in late January.
Batsman Rahane split the webbing on his right hand when fielding during the fourth one-day international on Wednesday, and he will be replaced by Gurkeerat Singh Mann for the T20s.
Kumar was also injured in the same game at Canberra, which India lost by 25 runs. The paceman suffered a fractured thumb when trying to stop a straight drive from David Warner, and his replacement is 25-year-old right-armer Rishi Dhawan.
Both replacements were confirmed in a statement from the Board of Control for Cricket in India on Saturday.
Kumar's news will be particularly concerning for India, who had already lost Mohammed Shami (hamstring) before the series, preventing his comeback from a previous knee injury that had marred his post-World Cup game time.
With two key bowlers ruled out for the near future, there could be a rush to find capable back-ups ahead of the T20 World Cup, which begins in March in India.
Mann and Dhawan, both of whom made their full international debuts in the ODI series against Australia in January, will therefore have the chance to make their T20 World Cup case, with the first of three games starting on January 26 in Adelaide.
Source: PA
