Major blow to India; key test player could undergo shoulder surgery

The wicket-keeper was not named in the squad and according to reports, his shoulder injury is serious enough to warrant a surgery that would keep him out of action for a minimum of five months.

When the selectors announced the Indian Test squad to take on England, they categorically mentioned that wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha was not part of the mix owing to a finger injury. However, reports now say that the Bengal player has a serious shoulder injury, one that could even require a surgery.

If Saha does indeed go under the knife, his rehab might force him to stay out of action for around six to eight months, which means he will miss the Australia tour too.

"It is a curious case of NCA's goof-up. He has been attended to by the NCA physio. While the thumb has healed, the shoulder injury has been aggravated," a BCCI official said, according to DNA.

"It could be a case of the injury point in the shoulder going numb due to lack of mobility," he added.

Other options in the squad

India are well covered as they have picked a young Rishabh Pant in the squad as the second wicket-keeper, and Dinesh Karthik is also making a Test comeback. But, this rather bizarre sequence of events has once again shown the communication within the BCCI.

There are also several reports that suggest the physio, under whom Saha was recovering at the National Cricket Academy, failed to report the extent of Saha's injury to the BCCI, which has led to this confusion.

In South Africa earlier this year, Saha did suffer an injury to the left hamstring tendon and was sent back home. Parthiv Patel replaced him for the second Test in Centurion.

He then picked up a thumb injury in the IPL during the match against the Kolkata Knight Riders after having struggled with a nagging shoulder injury right throughout the season.