AUS vs IND: T Natarajan Replaces Injured Umesh Yadav For Remaining Test Series

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), on Friday, named the replacement for Injured Umesh Yadav for the remaining Test series against Australia.

Umesh Yadav sustained a calf injury while bowling his fourth over during Australia’s second innings on Day 3 and has been ruled of the remainder of the Test series against Australia.

If reports to be believed, Umesh Yadav is heading home for rehabilitation after being ruled out of the fourth and final Test in Brisbane as well.

“Umesh Yadav sustained a strain in his left calf muscle on Day 3 of the second Border-Gavaskar Test in Melbourne. He underwent scans later in the day. The fast bowler will not recover completely ahead of the remaining two Test matches and has been ruled out of the series.

“The All-India Senior Selection Committee has named T Natarajan as Yadav’s replacement. Ahead of the Boxing Day Test, Shardul Thakur was added to the Test squad as Mohd. Shami’s replacement after the senior fast bowler suffered a hairline fracture in his right forearm. Both Shami and Umesh Yadav will head to the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru for further rehabilitation of their injuries,” BCCI has said in a statement.

T Natarajan was added in the T20I squad for the tour of Australia as a replacement for injured Varun Chakravarthy. Later he was named in the ODIs after Navdeep Saini got injured and now he is being added as injured Umesh Yadav’s replacement in Test series against Australia. Natarajan can now make his debut in all the 3 formats during the same tour.

The third Test between India and Australia will be played from January 07, 2021, at Sydney Cricket Ground. Notably, Rohit Sharma, who was serving a mandatory quarantine period in Sydney will also feature in the third Test. His presence in the third Test will surely impact the team. He has also been announced as the vice-captain of India in the third Test.

Team India Test squad: Ajinkya Rahane (Captain), Rohit Sharma (vice-captain), Mayank Agarwal, Prithvi Shaw, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper), Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Jasprit Bumrah, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, R. Ashwin, Md. Siraj, Shardul Thakur, T Natarajan