India wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha has been ruled out of India‘s Test match against Afghanistan later this month with a thumb injury that he sustained during the IPL.
The gloveman was struck by a bouncer while playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Kolkata Knight Riders last month, and faces an estimated recovery period of five to six weeks. He should return for India’s tour of England later in the summer.
Saha was sidelined during India’s tour of South Africa earlier this year, missing the last two Tests with a hamstring niggle.
Dinesh Karthik has been called in as Saha’s replacement for the Afghanistan. The Tamil Nadu keeper has overtaken a few other keepers in the country and is now seen as the top replacement keeper if Saha or MS Dhoni are not available.
Saha’s injury adds to the headache of the Indian management already struggling with the fitness concerns of captain Virat Kohli who has had to cut short his county stint in England due to a back injury.
The match, Afghanistan’s first-ever Test match, begins on June 14 in Bengaluru.
