Wriddhiman Saha likely to miss part of England Test series

What's the story?

Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha is likely to miss a part of the Test series against England, which begins on August 1. He is currently in a race of time to recover from a thumb injury he had suffered during the Indian Premier League.

"Saha’s injury hasn’t healed as per plan and to be fair there isn’t a chance that he would be match-fit when the team takes the field in the first game. Even though he was working on his fitness all this while, he could not keep wickets or bat with the soft plaster on. Game time is also something that the current management is looking into and it has been a while since Saha last played any form of cricket," a source told CricketNext.

“Some of the Test specialists are already in England and will be a part of the unofficial Test against the England Lions and Saha now doesn’t look like he will make it even for the Essex game. In such a circumstance it is only fair that someone like Karthik gets his chance as the player has been with the team and is aware of the conditions on offer. Also, he was the one called in to replace Saha for the Afghanistan Test,” he said.

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Saha was ruled out of the tour matches against England Lions and Essex as well, which are scheduled to take place before the first Test against England.

The BCCI is yet to announce the Test squad and are expected to do so in the coming few days.

The details

Saha was expected to be fit within four to five weeks after suffering his injury, however, his recovery hasn't gone according to plan. He was seen wearing a soft plaster around his thumb last week.

The selectors are most likely to persist with Dinesh Karthik as Saha's replacement. They might rope in Parthiv Patel as well as Karthik's back-up.

Saha's exclusion is not the only thing the Indian side would be worried about right now as Jasprit Bumrah is expected to miss the first Test while Bhuvneshwar Kumar is in a race of time to recover from an injured back.