Centurion: South Africa skipper Faf du
Plessis was today ruled out of the ongoing ODI series and the
upcoming Twenty20 Internationals against India owing to a
finger injury, a massive blow to the home side which lost the
first one-dayer in Durban.
Du Plessis was injured during the Durban ODI in which he
scored his ninth hundred to take the Proteas to 269/8. India
chased down that total with ease winning by six wickets and
taking a 1-0 lead.
"I just got a blow (to my finger), so hopefully it will
be fine for the next game," du Plessis had said in the post-
match conference on Thursday.
However, further assessment revealed that he had
sustained a fracture that will require 3-6 weeks to heal, thus
ruling him out of the remaining five ODIs and three T20Is.
A replacement captain for the rest of the limited-overs'
schedule against India will be named Tomorrow, just 24 hours
before the second ODI here.
Farhaan Behardien has been called up as du Plessis'
replacement. Also, wicket-keeper batsman Heinrich Klaasen has
also been given a maiden call-up to the ODI squad as back-up
to first-choice Quinton de Kock.
Du Plessis is now facing a race against time to be fit
for the first Test against Australia starting in Durban on
March 1.
This a huge blow for the Proteas who had earlier lost
batting mainstay AB de Villiers for the first three ODIs, also
owing to a finger injury sustained during the third Test at
Wanderers.
PTI
