Rohit Sharma Ruled Out Of South Africa Tests With Injuries: Priyank Panchal Named Replacement

NEW DELHI: Rohit Sharma, India's new Test vice-captain has been ruled out of the three-match test series against South Africa.

The news comes after the cricketer injured himself during his practice match in Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has named 13 years old Gujarat batter Priyank Panchal as the replacement of Rohit Sharma. After the declaration of his position, Panchal who scored 96 in the A test match against South Africa A is now all set to play the series opener in Centurion, South Africa. He will be covering Rohit Sharma ahead of the tour of South Africa this month for the test matches.

The three-match Test series between South Africa and India is scheduled to start from 26 December and will be continued till 30 December at SuperSport Park in Centurion.

There is no confirmation about Rohit playing in the One-day International series (ODI) as it is informed that the injury caused during his practice is much serious and can lead to a risky condition of the cricketer if played in ODI.

According to reports, the cricketer got severely injured as he was hit on his hand while practicing for the 3 match series for one week in Mumbai. Rohit sustained the hamstring injury while taking throw-downs from Raghu (Raghuvendra) specialist of the team and he is currently undergoing treatment by a medical team.

Panchal was earlier a member of India's extended squad that played against England in 4 tests in the month of February and March. Panchal also scored 7011 runs at an average of 45.52 in the 100 FC matches including 25 half-centuries and 20 centuries with 314 unbeaten at his highest score. He captains Gujarat in domestic cricket and was part of India's squad as a reserve opener for the Home Test against England.

The three-match series in South Africa will be then followed by the second Test beginning from 3 January and ending on 7 January which will be held at Wanderers, Johannesburg and lastly followed by Third Test to commence from 11 January to 15 January at Newlands, Cape Town.

Also read: Kohli might just become more dangerous in white-ball cricket: Gambhir

Also watch: