England's star batsman, Joe Root, will be sidelined after sustaining a blow to his right little finger during the first session on day three of the second Test against India at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium.
The injury occurred in the 18th over when Shubman Gill edged a delivery from Tom Hartley to slip, where Root was positioned. Despite attempting to catch the ball with a finger, he was unable to secure the catch. The impact resulted in an injury to Root's right little finger, forcing him to leave the field for the rest of the first session. This also meant that England couldn't utilize his part-time off-spin bowling.
An official update from the England team confirmed the injury and stated that Root is currently undergoing treatment. However, no specific timeline was provided for his return to the field. The official statement read, "Joe Root sustained an external blow to his right little finger, attempting a slip catch in the first session of D3. The England medical team will keep him off the field for the time being to treat and ice. At this stage, there is no indication of when he will return to the field."
Root had bowled only two overs in the second innings before the finger injury curtailed his on-field participation. In the first Test at Hyderabad, he had delivered impressive performances with figures of 4-79 and 1-41, contributing significantly to England's victory by 28 runs.
(With Agency Inputs)
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