India vs England: Zak Crawley ruled out of first two Tests after suffering a freak injury

Just a day before the first Test against India, England have suffered an injury blow as their top-order batsman Zak Crawley has been sidelined with a wrist injury. The right-handed batsman would miss the first two games of the four-match Test series, starting on Friday (February 5) in Chennai. The England star suffered the injury in a freak incident.

The 23-year-old picked up the injury when he slipped on the marble floor while leaving the dressing room onto the field on Tuesday. He fell heavily on his right wrist and as a result, did not train on Wednesday before being ruled out of the first two games. The England medical team will continue to assess his progress over the next few weeks.

“Scan results have confirmed that Crawley has jarred his right wrist, which has sprained the joint and led to local inflammation. The Kent player sustained the injury during England’s practice in Chennai on Tuesday when he slipped on the marble floor leaving the dressing rooms onto the field of play. The England medical team will continue to assess his progress over the next few weeks,” stated a release from the ECB.

Zak Crawley, who was likely to bat at number three against India, recently opened the innings for his team in Sri Lanka in absence of regular opener Rory Burns. He, however, failed miserably at the top of the order. Crawley was dismissed for 9 and 8 in the first Test before getting out for 5 and 13 in the second. He never really looked comfortable while batting and was dismissed by left-arm spinner Lasith Embuldeniya on all four occasions.

Zak Crawley’s replacement

With Zak Crawley sidelined, England’s team-management has a big task at their hands to find a replacement. Their work has been made tougher by the absence of Jonny Bairstow who has been rested for the first two Tests. Skipper Joe Root has batted at number three in the past but has made it clear he would like to continue at number four.

The other options are Ben Stokes, Dan Lawrence as well as Ollie Pope. Both Stokes and Pope are returning to the England squad after missing the series in Sri Lanka. Meanwhile, both India and England will be looking to make a winning start to the series as they eye a spot in the final of the ICC World Test Championship.