The Indian team is dealing with injury concerns leading up to the second T20I against England at Chepauk, Chennai as two players have been ruled out for the upcoming contest.
India vs England, 2nd T20I: Rinku Singh, Nitish Kumar Reddy suffer injuries
Shivam Dube has been called up as cover for Nitish Kumar Reddy during the ongoing five-match T20I series. Reddy, who didn’t have to either bowl or bat in the first T20I which India won by seven wickets, has been ruled out of the entire five-match series with a side strain. Dube was last in action in the Ranji Trophy for Mumbai against Jammu and Kashmir.
“All-rounder Nitish Reddy sustained a side strain injury in the practice session on 24th January in Chennai. He is ruled out of the ongoing 5-match T20I series. Reddy will head to the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru for further management,” read a statement from the BCCI.
Dube hasn’t played an international match since last August. He had missed the T20I series against Bangladesh due to a back injury and returned to action at the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy competition. He amassed 151 runs at a strike rate close to 180 and also picked up three wickets in five matches.
Meanwhile, Rinku Singh also sustained a back spasm while fielding in the first T20I against England in Kolkata. Like Reddy, Rinku also didn’t have to bat or bowl in that fixture. The BCCI have only stated that he has been ruled out of the second and third T20Is, meaning there remains a chance of him playing a part in the latter matches of the series depending on his recovery. Rinku’s Kolkata Knight Riders teammate Ramandeep Singh has been named as a replacement.
Ramandeep made his international debut for India during the T20I series in South Africa in November. The middle-order batter scored 15 not out at a strike rate of 250 in the only innings he batted in, and picked up one wicket in two matches.
Abhishek Sharma reportedly suffers injury scare
The first T20I was a showcase of Abhishek Sharma’s incredible hitting prowess. The left-hander smashed five boundaries and eight sixes to score 79 off only 34 deliveries and helped India chase down the target of 132 in just 12.5 overs.
The Indian Express reported that Abhishek twisted his ankle during a warm-up routine at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Friday. Seen in visible pain, he was attended to by a physio and while he was able to walk, the 24-year-old didn’t come out to bat in the nets for the remainder of the evening.
Despite the development, there was no mention of Abhishek’s injury in the BCCI’s media release, which suggests that it may not have been serious enough to affect his availability.
IND v ENG T20 series, 2025: Full updated squad lists
India: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Axar Patel (vc), Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh (ruled out of second and third T20Is), Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Shami, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Washington Sundar, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Shivam Dube, Ramandeep Singh.
England: Jos Buttler (c), Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Jamie Smith, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Saqib Mahmood, Phil Salt, Mark Wood.
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