Dinesh Karthik replaces injured Wriddhiman Saha for Afghanistan Test

Tamil Nadu wicket-keeper batsman Dinesh Karthik will replace Wriddhiman Saha in the Test squad for the one-off game against Afghanistan. The 33-year-old Karthik will return to the Test team after a gap of eight years after Saha was ruled out of the historic game due to a finger injury.

The Indian team will take on Afghanistan in the latter's first-ever Test, at the Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore, starting June 14.

Saha injured his hand during the Qualifier 2 against the Kolkata Knight Riders while playing for the Sunrisers Hyderabad during IPL 2018, and subsequently missed the final against the Chennai Super Kings.

A media release from the BCCI said: "He was under observation by the medical staff of the BCCI and the management has decided to give him adequate rest before the start of the England Test series".

Speaking to reporters in Kolkata about his injury a couple of days back, Saha had stated that he was unsure whether he would be able to take part in the Test, claiming that the doctors will have to assess and help take a final call.

"An (Operation is) not yet confirmed. The doctor will assess again and then he will take a call. There will be an X-ray in the next few days and then it will be decided", he had said.

Saha is expected to be out of the game for a month and a half.

Karthik last played for India in whites against Bangladesh at Chittagong in 2010, having made his Test debut against Australia at Mumbai in 2004. He's scored exactly 1000 runs from 23 Tests and has 51 catches and five stumpings to his name.

Here's the entire squad for the Afghanistan Test:

Ajinkya Rahane (c), Shikhar Dhawan, M Vijay, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Karun Nair, Dinesh Karthik (WK), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Hardik Pandya, Ishant Sharma, Shardul Thakur.