Imrul Kayes ruled out of India Test

The visiting Bangladesh side received their first major jolt ahead of the one-off Test against India. Opening batsman Imrul Kayes has been ruled out of the only fixture of the tour following a thigh injury. Kayes had injured himself during the first Test against New Zealand recently. He had even donned the wicketkeeping gloves after Mushfiqur Rahim was injured earlier in the game.

Kayes ended up with a muscle tear during batting in the second innings of the match. In an attempt to pull off a quick single, he tore a small muscle in his left thigh. He had to be stretchered out of the ground thereafter.

Imrul Kayes injured his thigh yet again during the practice game against India A at the Gymkhana grounds in Hyderabad. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) media manager Rabeed Imam confirmed the same. He noted that it was the recurring injury that will see the veteran batsman out of action for a few weeks.

BCB have announced Mosaddek Hossain Saikat as his replacement for the match. Bangladesh are scheduled to play one Test against India at Hyderabad starting on February 9, 2017. This will be their first ever Test match on the Indian soil since they received their Test status back in 2000. Following the match, they will head to Sri Lanka for a full tour in March where they will play Tests, ODIs, and T20Is.

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Prior to the commencement of the warm-up fixture, there were clouds over his availability. He had quoted then, “The pain has lessened. I cycled and ran a bit, but felt no pain. I also had a chat with the doctors. The game begins from ninth [next month]. I think I will be fit before the match begins.” However, much to his disliking, the pain resurfaced and Imrul Kayes has to bow out.

Bangladesh squad for the one-off Test:

Mushfiqur Rahim (C), Tamim Iqbal, Sabbir Rahman, Mahmudullah, Shakib Al Hasan, Mehedi Hasan, Taijul Islam, Kamrul Islam Rabbi, Soumya Sarkar, Taskin Ahmed, Subashis Roy, Liton Das (wk), Mominul Haque, Shafiul Islam, Mosaddek Hossain Saikat