IND v SA | George Linde added to South Africa squad as Keshav Maharaj ruled out of third Test
Cricket South Africa (CSA) has confirmed that left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj has been ruled out of the third and final Test against India in Ranchi with a shoulder injury. Maharaj, who picked up a lone wicket and scored 94 runs in the 2nd Test, will be replaced by left-arm spinner George Linde.
Maharaj has had a frustrating outing with the ball in both the Test matches thus far, conceding over 500 runs in three innings while picking up six wickets. And things got even worse for the leftie when he sustained a shoulder injury on the second day of the Pune Test while fielding.Â
"A re-assessment ahead of the start of play this morning along with MRI results revealed that he will not be fit in time to play in the final Test match," CSA stated on Sunday, reported Cricbuzz.
Despite picking up the injury, Maharaj turned up with a resilient 72 — his maiden Test fifty — in South Africa’s first innings to add some respectability to their score. Maharaj walked in when his team were 162 for eight, in reply to India’s 601 for five, and, along with Vernon Philander, helped them post 275. His efforts would eventually be in vain as South Africa was bundled out for 189 in their follow-on innings and lost the match by an innings and 137 runs.Â
Team doctor Ramjee Hashendra shed further light on Maharaj’s injury.Â
"An MRI scan revealed that Keshav has sustained an injury to a muscle in his right shoulder which was strapped in order for him to bat yesterday. He was re-assess this morning, particularly with regards to bowling, and he showed significant discomfort in this latter discipline,” Hashendra said,
“The nature and extent of the injury would mean that he will probably return to play in 14 to 21 days based on his progress during the rehabilitation phase," Hashendra added.