- Shikhar Dhawan suffered a shoulder injury during the third ODI against Australia on Sunday, 19 January.
- Ishant Sharma will also miss two-Test series in New Zealand after sustaining an ankle tear during a Ranji Trophy game.
- India Tour of New Zealand is scheduled to start from 24 January with the five-match T20 series.
India is set to miss the services of opener Shikhar Dhawan and pacer Ishant Sharma for the upcoming tour of New Zealand starting on Friday, 24 January.
Dhawan will the miss five-match T20 series after he suffered a shoulder injury while fielding in the third ODI against Australia in Bengaluru. He had dived in the field to save a shot by Aaron Finch, hurting his shoulder in the process.
"Yes, he has been ruled out of the T20 series. A replacement will be announced soon" a BCCI official told PTI.
The southpaw was taken for an x-ray after he hurt his left shoulder during fielding.
Dhawan did not come out to open during the successful run chase. K L Rahul came out to bat in his place alongside Rohit Sharma.
Dhawan was seen wearing a sling on his left hand.
Meanwhile pacer Ishant Sharma will also miss two-Test series in New Zealand after sustaining an ankle tear during a Ranji Trophy game, a Delhi state cricket association official said on Tuesday.
Ishant, playing for Delhi, had twisted his ankle on his follow through while bowling against Vidarbha on Monday.
"Ishant Sharma's MRI report shows a Grade 3 ankle tear and it is serious. He has been advised six weeks of rest and rehabilitation. It is indeed a big blow," DDCA general secretary Vinod Tihara told PTI.
“Luckily there is no fracture. There is an ankle tear. The moment he is in a position to walk, he will travel to NCA.”DDCA Official
However, the Indian cricket board is yet to issue a statement on Ishant's injury.
"It's a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) in BCCI as we will again do his MRI to ascertain degree of tear and decide on his rehabilitation," a BCCI source said.
Fellow Delhi pacer Navdeep Saini is likely to replace the 96-Test veteran in the Test squad.
The Test series against New Zealand is scheduled to start from 21 February in Wellington.
(With inputs from PTI)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)