New Delhi: In-form opener Shikhar Dhawan will replace injured Murali Vijay for the three-Test series in the upcoming India tour of Sri Lanka, a BCCI release confirmed Monday.
Vijay hasn’t fully recovered from the wrist injury he picked during the Test series against Australia, and has been advised to continue his rehabilitation programme.
“The All-India senior selection committee Monday named Shikhar Dhawan as the replacement for injured Murali Vijay in the Test team, which is scheduled to travel to Sri Lanka for a three-match Test series,” the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said in a statement.
“Vijay, who suffered a wrist injury during Australia’s tour of India, has complained of pain in his right wrist, while playing a preparatory match. The BCCI medical team has therefore advised that Vijay should continue his rehabilitation programme,” it added.
Dhawan, who hasn’t featured in the longest version of the game since the home Test series against New Zealand last September, has been in good nick in the shorter format of the game, particularly in the ICC Champions Trophy in England, where he emerged the highest scorer with 338 runs.
He is expected to open the innings with Lokesh Rahul in the first Test against the islanders despite having Tamil Nadu southpaw Abhinav Mukund in the squad as the third opener.
The squad: Virat Kohli (Captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Lokesh Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Rohit Sharma, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Wriddhiman Saha (WK), Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, M Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Abhinav Mukund.
