India vs Sri Lanka: Ruturaj Gaikwad Ruled Out of Series, THIS Player Replaces Him

Ruturaj Gaikwad, who has impressed for Chennai Super Kings in the last two editions of the IPL, has been ruled out of the series against Sri Lanka. Ruturaj, who was expected to feature in the series prominently, withdrew from the first match as he complained of pain in the right wrist. However, the BCCI has now released a statement that Ruturaj has been ruled out of the remaining two games.

An MRI Scan was conducted by the BCCI medical team and it ruled him out for the back-to-back matches on February 26 and 27 in Dharamshala. This is a big blow for Ruturaj. With so many senior players having opted out of the series due to bio-bubble fatigue, Ruturaj was expected to play in all three games. Having earlier played in three T20Is when India toured Sri Lanka, this was a chance for the Maharashtra youngster to enhance his credentials.

In Ruturaj Gaikwad’s place, Mayank Agarwal has been drafted into the team. It was a simpler choice to include Agarwal due to bio-bubble logistics. Agarwal has been in the Chandigarh bio-bubble playing the Ranji Trophy for Karnataka. It was easy for him to move from the Ranji bio-bubble to the India bio-bubble.

Read More – Ruturaj Gaikwad is in KL Rahul Category, Says Brian Lara

Rain to play Spoilsport in Dharamshala?

The Indian cricket team is on the cusp of winning a series against Sri Lanka. They won the first match convincingly by 62 runs thanks to Ishan Kishan’s 89. Heading into the match in Dharamshala, India will be wanting to take revenge on Sri Lanka. In the earlier series, Sri Lanka had defeated India 1-2 in the T20I series, having narrowly lost the ODI series 2-1.

However, the chances of the game happening on February 26 in Dharamshala could be low. Rain has been forecast for Saturday. There are chances that the entire match could be washed out. If the rain gods relent, there could be a truncated match. The last time an international match was played in Dharamshala, it involved the South Africa cricket team in 2020. The whole match was washed out due to rain. After that, the entire series was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

If India wins the match, it will be the 11^th successive win for India in T20Is. After their loss to New Zealand, they have won three matches in the ICC World T20. In addition, they whitewashed the Kiwis and West Indies 3-0. A win in Dharamshala would ensure Rohit Sharma continues his streak of not having lost a series.