Senior India pacer Ishant Sharma
Senior India pacer Ishant Sharma has been ruled out of next month's two-Test series in New Zealand after sustaining an ankle tear during a Ranji Trophy game in Delhi.
Ishant, playing for Delhi, had twisted his ankle on his follow through while bowling against Vidarbha on Monday. The Test series against New Zealand is scheduled to start from February 21 in Wellington.
According to a report in PTI, Ishant's MRI showed a Grade 3 ankle tear. The pacer has been advised six weeks of rest and rehabilitation, PTI quoted a DDCA official as saying.
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.
Ishant was in the middle of his second Ranji Trophy this season, having played the opening home game against Hyderabad last month.
The 31-year-old is an integral part of arguably India's best ever pace attack comprising Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami and Umesh Yadav.
