Sri Lanka vs India 2017: Nuwan Pradeep ruled out of Test series
What's the story?
Sri Lankan pacer Nuwan Pradeep will not participate in the remainder of the Test series against India due to a hamstring injury that he sustained in the ongoing second Test against Virat Kohli's men.
"Nuwan Pradeep's out for one or two months," Dimuth Karunaratne said in his press conference after the second day's play.
The opening bowler could manage just 17 overs on the first day of the match before the injury forced him to leave the field, leaving the hosts with just one regular pacer.
He has been ruled out of the entire series now and Sri Lanka will be forced into naming a replacement for the final Test.
In case you didn't know...
India are currently in Sri Lanka for a full-fledged tour that comprises 3 Tests, 5 ODIs and a single T20I.
The visitors won the first Test comprehensively by a gargantuan margin of 304 runs. They're in a strong position in the second Test as well, and have the hosts in a spot of bother.
Details
Sri Lanka's Cricket Manager Asanka Gurusinha had ruled out the possibility of Pradeep bowling in the first innings after he sustained the injury. Angelo Mathews is not fit enough to bowl yet and thus Sri Lanka had to settle for the part-time option of Karunaratne in the ongoing Test.
The fact that India declared on a massive total of 622 in the first innings means that the hosts might not need to bowl at all in the remainder of this match and thus might not be affected by Pradeep's absence any further.
In spite of suffering from the injury, Pradeep will come out to bat for his side in the ongoing Test. He won't be able to ball in the match but will bat if his team requires him to do so.
What's next?
SLCB are yet to announce his replacement and are likely to do it after the conclusion of the second Test. The team have been struggling in Test cricket for over a year now and recurring injuries in this series against the World No. 1 team have fractured their chances even further.
The hosts will need to pull a rabbit out of the hat in the remainder of this Test if they wish to stay alive in the series.
As far as Pradeep goes, it is unlikely that the right-hander will make a full recovery before the limited overs series, which begins almost immediately after the last Test.
Author's Take
A cricketer suffering an injury is always unfortunate, especially in the middle of a series. Big Sri Lankan names like Dinesh Chandimal, Rangana Herath and Asela Gunaratne have already suffered due to the same.
Let's hope that no other cricketers are forced to pull out of the series due to such unfortunate injuries, as there is still a lot of cricket to be played in the remainder the tour.