South Africa’s batsman AB De Villiers has been ruled out of the first three One-Day Internationals (ODIs) against India due to a finger injury. South Africa Cricket have not named a replacement for the batsman. The board assumes to see him fully fit for the last three ODIs of the series. AB De Villiers injury
De Villiers got injured while taking Indian captain Virat Kohli‘s catch in the first innings of the Johannesburg Test. The 360 degree star batted in second innings, but he remained out of the field for long duration due to bruising.
After a gruelling Test series that saw the hosts South Africa take home the trophy following a 2-1 win over number Test side. India gained some momentum by overturning 63-run defeat in Johannesburg in the final Test, to take a consolation win. The battle now shifts to One-Day International fixture. The six-match series will kick off on Thursday at Kingsmead Oval in Durban. AB De Villiers injury comes as a real shocker for the rainbow country and its fans, ahead of a crucial ODI series against India.
No AB De Villiers in first three ODIs against India
Indian fans: 😅😅😅
India Cricket fans: ;)😒:|
— Broken Pundit (@Brokenpundit) January 30, 2018
“De Villiers sustained the injury to his right index finger during the third Test against India and will require up to two weeks to make a full recovery,” CSA said in a media release.
“The CSA medical team is hopeful De Villiers will recover in time for the fourth ‘Pink’ ODI at the Bidvest Wanderers Stadium on Saturday, February 10th . The selectors have opted not to name a replacement,” the release added.
De Villiers who is the aggressor when it comes to score runs in the death overs, can also stable the innings if the team is strucked by early blows. AB De played a crucial role for the Proteas when they last toured India in 2015. The series was evenly poised at 2-2, with the decider to be played in Mumbai. The star batsmen chipped in with a blisterring 119 off just 98 balls and changed the complexion of the game. South Africa won the game by a massive margin of 214, in-front of a packed Wankhede crowd and took the series 3-2.
South Africa ODI squad: Faf du Plessis (Captain), Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Imran Tahir, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Morne Morkel, Chris Morris, Lungisani Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Khayelihle Zondo.
