SA vs IND, 3rd Test: Dinesh Karthik named replacement for injured Wriddhiman Saha

Centurion: While he was picked in the squad for the six-match ODI series against the Proteas, Dinesh Karthik is set to fly to South Africa ahead of the third Test as injured Wriddhiman Saha’s replacement.

“The All-India Senior Selection Committee has named Dinesh Karthik as the replacement for Wriddhiman Saha for the third and final Test against South Africa. He is set to join the team before the third Test,” the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said in a media release on Tuesday.

Karthik, if picked in the playing XI for the third Test, will be playing his first Test since 2010.

Saha, who broke MS Dhoni’s record of most dismissals for an Indian wicketkeeper during the first South Africa versus India Test in Cape Town, had upper left hamstring tendon injury during training on Thursday, January 11, ahead of the second Test in Centurion, and was replaced by Parthiv Patel in the playing XI.

“Mr. Wriddhiman Saha suffered an upper left hamstring tendon injury during training on Thursday, January 11. The BCCI Medical Team will continue to monitor his progress,” concluded BCCI.

The third and final Test of the series, which will commence on January 24, will be played at the New Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg