Australia opener David Warner has been ruled out of the remaining two Tests against India in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
For the uninitiated, the 36-year-old suffered a concussion after the first innings of the second Test after being hit on the helmet while facing Mohammed Siraj. X-rays confirmed that the southpaw had also suffered a hairline fracture of the elbow. Matt Renshaw replaced him in the second innings for Australia.
In a statement, Cricket Australia said:
“David Warner has been ruled out of the Qantas test tour of India and will return home. Warner was struck on the elbow in the second Test in Delhi and sustained a hairline fracture.”
Warner will undergo rehabilitation to recover from his injury. He, however, is expected to return for the three-match ODI series against India in March.
“After further assessment, he will require a period of rehabilitation which will preclude any further involvement in the remainder of the Test series. It is currently anticipated that he will return to India for the three One-Day Internationals which follow the Test Series,” the statement added.
Australia have already lost fast bowler Josh Hazlewood, who has been ruled out of the tournament due to Achilles’ soreness. Meanwhile, Mitchell Starc and Cameron Green are on the path to recovery after missing the first two Tests due to finger injuries.
India and Australia squads for the remaining two Tests
Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Ashton Agar, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Matt Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Lance Morris, Todd Murphy, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith (vice-captain), Mitchell Starc, and Mitchell Swepson.
India squad: Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KS Bharat, Ishan Kishan, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Suryakumar Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat.
The remaining two Tests will be played in Indore (March 1-5) and Ahmedabad (March 9-13), respectively. Team India has taken a 2-0 lead in the series, having won the first Test by an inning and 132 runs and the second Test by six wickets, respectively.