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In another injury scare for India in South Africa, pacer Mohammed Siraj trudged off the field holding his right hamstring on the stroke of Lunch on Monday.
The right-arm pacer was in the middle of bowling a fiery final spell on Day 1 of the second Test. After delivering five balls in the penultimate over, Siraj shifted around the wicket for the last ball. He ran in full tilt but stopped midway through his jump, gave a short cry, and skipped out of the 22 yards on one leg in apparent discomfort.
Physio Nitin Patel came out running and escorted him off the ground to the pavilion. All-rounder Shardul Thakur completed the over. Here are a couple of videos of the moment:
Earlier today, skipper Virat Kohli was ruled out of the Test owing to an "upper back spasm". Jasprit Bumrah, too, suffered an injury scare after twisting his ankle while bowling in the first Test. Fortunately for the visitors, he was back in action soon after.
It remains to be seen if Siraj can do the same as well, with it all obviously depending on the seriousness of his injury. If he's not able to bowl tomorrow, Thakur will have to do the heavy lifting, with Ravichandran Ashwin also likely to be called upon more often.
India will certainly miss Siraj if he is ruled out. The young pacer has been nothing short of brilliant on this tour so far. In the first Test, he bowled an overall spell of 3-92, supporting Mohammed Shami and Bumrah brilliantly. His ability to trouble the opposition with short bursts of consistent bowling will be difficult to match.
Who can replace Mohammed Siraj in the 3rd Test?
If it comes to it, India have the services of Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav available for the third and final Test of the series, which will begin on January 11. Both are seasoned campaigners and can be highly successful in pacy conditions in South Africa.
India will likely go with Ishant because of his superior experience of overseas conditions and his ability to hold one end.
