Rangana Herath ruled out of India vs Sri Lanka 3rd Test, Jeffrey Vandersay in
Rangana Herath, who failed to make a mark in India vs Sri Lanka Test series, complained of back pain after the second match in Nagpur, which the hosts won to take 1-0 lead in the 3-match series
Rangana Herath, Sri Lanka’s senior-most bowler on their current tour of India, has been ruled out of the third Test, starting in New Delhi on December 2. The left-arm spinner had complained of back pain after the second Test in Nagpur, which the hosts won.
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Young leg-spinner Jeffrey Vandersay is likely to be named as his replacement. It was learnt that left-arm spinner Malinda Pushpakumara was Sri Lanka’s first choice to replace Herath but the 30-year-old failed the fitness test. Herath is due to fly back home on Thursday.
The 39-year-old Herath’s performance in the current series has been forgettable. In the first Test in Kolkata, in seamer friendly conditions, he managed just one wicket. He, however, scored a crucial 67 for the visitors. The rain-affected match ended in draw.
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In the second Test in Nagpur, while Indian spin duo Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja shared 13 wickets between them. But Herath, the first left-arm spinner to take 400 Test wickets, returned with match figures of 39-11-81-1.
Herath’s likely replacement Vandersay has played 11 ODIs and seven T20Is for Sri Lanka, taking 14 wickets in all. His ODI average is 43 but has an economy rate of 5.74.
(With inputs from PTI)