India vs South Africa | Temba Bavuma ruled out of third Test with fractured finger
Temba Bavuma has fractured his right finger during a domestic one-day cup match on January 17 which has resulted in his unavailability for the upcoming third Test between India and South Africa. The South African middle-order batsman was part of the squad but couldn't make it to the final XI.
The South African team secured a 2-0 series victory with a game in hand that will start on January 24 at the Wanderers Stadium. However, the team suffered an injury scare as Bavuma fractured his finger while playing for Cape Cobras in a domestic one-day match and is expected to take three or four weeks for recovery. The player didn’t get a chance to play against India in the first two Tests and now the injury ended all his hopes. However, South Africa decided not to announce any replacement for the batsman.
So far, Bavuma has played 27 Tests for his country in which he scored 1,259 runs at 33.13. He played just two ODIs so far scoring 161 runs at an average of 80.5.
Before Bavuma, South Africa already faced a set back because of opener Aiden Markram who suffered a mild quad strain during the second Test in Centurion and was unable to come out for fielding in India's second innings and now he will face a fitness test ahead of the third Test. The team though already have an extra batsman in the form of Theunis de Bruyn, but like Bavuma he didn’t get a chance to play first two games. Both players’ injury raised the chances of de Bruyn to play the five-dayer who had the experience of playing three Tests in his career.