Ishant Sharma ruled out of first Test due to Chikungunya

Ishant Sharma, India’s pace spearhead, will miss the first Test against New Zealand in Kanpur, starting on Thursday (September 22) as he is recovering from Chikungunya, a viral disease transmitted to humans by mosquitoes.

Anil Kumble, India’s head coach, addressed the media ahead of the series opener and also revealed that the team hasn’t asked for a replacement for the pacer yet.

Ishant’s absence will mean that India’s pace bowling options would be limited to Mohammad Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Umesh Yadav.

Ishant has been a regular member of the Test side, having played 72 matches for his country. He picked up eight wickets at an average of 32.12 in the recently-concluded four-match Test series against West Indies.

The visitors, on the other hand, are already without the services of James Neesham and Tim Southee. While all-rounder Neesham will be out of action for the first game due to a rib injury he sustained prior to the start of New Zealand’s practice game; Southee has been ruled out of the entire Test series due to a ligament injury in the ankle. The experienced pacer, however, is slated to return to India for the succeeding One-Day Internationals.