MUMBAI - India middle-order batsman Ajinkya Rahane has been ruled out of the last two Tests against England with a fractured finger while fast bowler Mohammed Shami is also doubtful for the fourth match at the Wankhede Stadium, beginning Thursday.
The 28-year-old Rahane, who has had a modest series so far, was hit by a ball during Wednesday’s practice and sustained an avulsion fracture on his right index finger, the India cricket board said in a media release.
Batsman Manish Pandey has replaced Rahane in the squad, with paceman Shardul Thakur named as a back-up for Shami, who has a sore knee and will be assessed before the start of the penultimate match of the five-Test series.
Seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who took six wickets in his last Test against New Zealand in September, is expected to start if Shami is ruled out, with opening batsman Lokesh Rahul returning to the side after missing the third Test in Mohali with injury.
The host leads the series 2-0 and captain Virat Kohli was confident the replacements would do the job for his team.
“Currently, (I’m) not really (worried) because if you see whoever has stepped in has given match-winning performances,” Kohli told reporters Wednesday. “I am not worried because the guys sitting outside are waiting for opportunities.”
After losses in the second and third Tests, the touring England side travelled to Dubai to unwind during the eight-day gap between the third and fourth Test.
At the end of the five-Test series, England will head home for holidays before returning to India in January to play three One-Day Internationals and the same number of Twenty20 matches.
Kohli said the break had also been refreshing for his side but added that he would like it to be reciprocated when they tour England next.
Batsman Keaton Jennings will, meanwhile, make his Test debut against India Thursday, becoming the latest South Africa-born cricketer to pull on an England jersey, captain Alastair Cook announced.
Jennings, who was born in Johannesburg and captained the Proteas Under-19s, was a late call-up for England’s two remaining must-win matches after opener Haseeb Hameed injured his hand during the third Test.
Cook said it was “50/50” whether fast bowler Stuart Broad would recover from a strained tendon in time. With nothing to lose, his side intended to bat more aggressively, he said.
