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The Indian cricket team has made some changes in its squad for the ongoing T20I series against England following injuries to two players. Shivam Dube has been called up to replace Nitish Kumar Reddy, while Ramandeep Singh has been added as cover for Rinku Singh.
Nitish Kumar Reddy ruled out with side strain
Nitish Reddy sustained a side strain during a nets session on Friday, ahead of the second T20I in Chennai. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed that Reddy will undergo further management at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. He is expected to require approximately four weeks of rest and rehabilitation, effectively ruling him out of competitive cricket until the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, where he represents Sunrisers Hyderabad.
This injury comes as a significant setback for Reddy, who has been showing promise as an all-format player. Interestingly, this isn’t the first time Reddy has been replaced by Dube due to an injury; a similar situation occurred during Reddy’s maiden T20I tour of Zimbabwe.
Dube, a big-hitting all-rounder, has played 33 T20Is, scoring 448 runs at a strike rate of nearly 135 and taking 11 wickets with his medium-pace bowling. However, his recent domestic performance hasn’t been ideal; he bagged a pair (two ducks) while playing for Mumbai in a Ranji Trophy match against Jammu and Kashmir. Despite this, his ability to strike big and contribute with the ball has earned him another chance in the national setup.
Rinku Singh’s low back spasm
Lower-order batter Rinku Singh also sustained a low back spasm while fielding during the first T20I against England at Eden Gardens. According to the BCCI, Rinku is progressing well under medical supervision but will miss a few games of the remaining series.
Ramandeep, who has shown promise in the domestic circuit, joins the squad as a backup for Rinku. Known for his hard-hitting abilities in the lower order, Ramandeep will provide depth and flexibility to the Indian side as they aim to maintain momentum in the series.
India registered a thrilling win in the second T20I on Saturday and are now 2-0 ahead in the five-match leg.
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Updated India squad for the remaining T20I series against England
Suryakumar Yadav (c), Axar Patel (vc), Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammad Shami, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Washington Sundar, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Shivam Dube, Ramandeep Singh.
