Warner confirms Wriddhiman Saha suffered hamstring tear, casts doubt on Australia tour

As Hyderabad face Delhi in a knock-out game on Sunday, the Orange Army took to the field without Wriddhiman Saha, who has been forced to sit out due to an injury. The Indian wicketkeeper-batsman has been a sensational addition to the playing XI, proving his effectiveness in the last few games for Hyderabad. However, while Hyderabad will certainly miss Saha's batting exploits at the top of the order, his injury also casts a doubt on his inclusion in the squad set to tour Australia in November end. 

Hyderabad skipper David Warner at the toss on Sunday confirmed that Saha has suffered a hamstring tear. However, the degree of the tear is not clear yet. If the wicketkeeper has a grade 1 tear, he would be travelling to Australia, as it generally takes only four weeks to recover in this case whereas the Test series commences on December 17. On the other hand, if it is a grade 2 tear, Saha will have to skip the tour as he would need two months to recover. Rishabh Pant has been included as the second wicketkeeper in the Test squad and shall take Saha's place if the latter misses out. 

Kohli likely to miss last 2 Tests

Team India skipper Virat Kohli is likely to skip two Test matches against Australia in the upcoming two-month long tour. The Indian skipper is expected to take paternity leave after the first two Tests of the series slated to begin on December 17 after the conclusion of the battle in the limited-overs game. The final decision is yet to be announced by the BCCI. 

“The BCCI has always believed that family is a priority. In case, the skipper decides on availing paternity break, he will then be available only for the first two Test matches,” PTI quoted a senior BCCI source. 

READ | Virat Kohli Likely To Miss Last Two Tests Against Australia In December, Here's Why

Kohli's deputy in limited-overs, Rohit Sharma was excluded from the squad set to tour Australia after having sustained an injury in the IPL game against Punjab. However, BCCI has reported that the opening batsman is recovering and might fly to Australia even after the series has commenced if deemed fit. Sharma has his resumed his duties as the skipper of Mumbai in the IPL as he made a comeback in the last league game against Hyderabad and also played the Qualifier 1 which paved way for Mumbai in the IPL finale. 

“A decision will be taken soon in this regard. It’s only fair that Rohit stays with the team and does his strength and conditioning work under physio Nitin Patel and trainer Nick Webb. Let’s see how it goes,” the BCCI source told PTI. 

READ | BCCI To Assess Rohit Sharma's Fitness On Sunday, Likely To Decide On Team India Inclusion

India tour of Australia 

India will kick off their tour to Australia with a three-match ODI series starting on Friday, 27 November, followed by as many T20Is and four Tests. The T20Is will be played in Canberra (4 December) and Sydney (6, 8 December). 

The first Test will be a day/night affair, from 17-21 December at the Adelaide Oval. The Melbourne Cricket Ground (26-30 December) will host the Boxing Day Test, before the action moves to the Sydney Cricket Ground (7-11 January) and the Gabba (15-19 January). With India currently on top of the World Test Championship table and Australia in second, the series is expected to be a thriller, as it will also be a part of the ICC World Test Championship. 

READ | Ganguly States Criteria For Injured Rohit Sharma's Inclusion In India's Tour To Australia