'Ankle' twist in the tale!

Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav and Ruturaj Gaikwad. Pics/Getty Images

Suryakumar Yadav is all set to miss the upcoming three-match T20I series against Afghanistan starting January 11 due to an ankle injury sustained during the recent series against South Africa.

Surya may return for Ranji

The 31-year-old twisted his ankle while fielding against South Africa in Johannesburg and there could be a suspected tear that could take six weeks to heal. "Surya has reported to NCA for rehab work and the Medical Science team as of now have ruled him injured. He won't be able to play against Afghanistan which starts in three weeks time. Since he is unlikely to be selected for Tests, he will possibly play for Mumbai in Ranji Trophy in February to check his fitness before playing in the IPL," a BCCI source told PTI.

It has also emerged that chances of Hardik Pandya recovering from his ankle injury looks unlikely at the moment.

"There is no update on Hardik's fitness status as of now and one can say there remains a big question mark of him being available before the end of IPL," the source added.

With Surya or Hardik unavailable, the selectors might need to ask Rohit Sharma to lead the side unless they want to look forward and appoint Ravindra Jadeja as a stop gap leader for the series.

But Jadeja will play all five Tests against England and will need to take care of his workload.

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Injured Gaikwad NCA-bound

Meanwhile, top-order batter Ruturaj Gaikwad will head to the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore after fracturing his finger while Harshit Rana has also been ruled out of India A's four-day match against South Africa A.

The BCCI confirmed in a statement on Saturday that opener Gaikwad had suffered a fracture to his ring finger and will miss the upcoming two-Test series against the Proteas, beginning December 26 in Centurion.

"Ruturaj Gaikwad suffered an injury to his right ring finger while fielding in the second ODI against South Africa in Gqeberha. He underwent scans, and following an expert consultation, the BCCI Medical Team has ruled him out of the remainder of the tour," said BCCI secretary Jay Shah in a statement.

"He will be reporting to the NCA for further management of his injury. The Men's Selection Committee has named Abhimanyu Easwaran as his replacement," the statement added.

However, Easwaran will only be available for the second Test as he is currently leading the India A side.

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