England skipper Eoin Morgan has been ruled out of the final two ODI matches against India due to a finger injury. Morgan split the webbing between his right thumb and index finger while fielding in the first ODI and got four stitches.
Furthermore, Sam Billings will also miss the second ODI and the call on his participation in the final ODI on Sunday will be taken later by the team management.
Sam Billings injured his collarbone when he landed awkwardly on his shoulder as he dived to stop a boundary in the first ODI on Tuesday. Billings didn’t train on Thursday as the injury remained sore. Thus, England has suffered a double injury blow after losing the first game.
Liam Livingstone is all set to make his ODI debut for England.
In Morgan’s absence, the team’s vice-captain Jos Buttler will lead the team in the final two matches.
Morgan said: “I had the hand re-dressed before the start of training today but it quickly became apparent that I found myself protecting the injury and getting into the wrong positions to catch the ball.
“There’s nowhere to hide on the field in international cricket these days, especially in limited-over formats so it didn’t require any great thought to make myself unavailable.
“It was a freak injury and it’s extremely frustrating but there’s nothing I can do about it. It’s now just a case of letting the cut heal. I have every confidence in Jos and the rest of the squad coping without me.”
Dawid Malan, who was with the team as a cover, has been drafted into the squad and is available for selection. Malan had scored a fine knock of 68 runs off just 46 balls in the final T20I but his knock had gone in vain.
England lost the first ODI by 66 runs and the second will be a must-win affair for them. The second ODI will take place at the same venue of Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune on Friday.
