Back stiffness rules out Nitish Kumar Reddy of first 3 T20s as Shivam Dube is in the XI for the first T20I.
Nitish Kumar Reddy ruled out of first three T20Is against Australia with back stiffness.
According to a BCCI report on Wednesday morning, neck spasms have “impacted his recovery and mobility” and delayed fast-bowling all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy’s return to play.
On October 23, Reddy, 22, suffered a left quadriceps injury during the second ODI against Australia. The next ODI in Sydney, which India won by nine wickets to reduce the series gap to 2-1, was missed by him.
Hardik Pandya, India’s top all-rounder, is already sidelined while he recovers from a quadriceps injury. The good news for India is that Shivam Dube, the other seam-bowling all-rounder in the visiting squad, is fit and was included in the XI for the first T20I in Canberra after missing the Ranji Trophy opening round due to back stiffness. Without Hardik, India has appeared unbalanced.