IND vs SA: Du Plessis ruled out of ODI series

South African skipper Faf du Plessis has been ruled out of the rest of the series against India owing to a finger injury.

Skipper Faf du Plessis scored a fighting hundred in the first ODI on Thursday, but India won the tie as it chased down the target with six wickets to spare.

South Africa skipper Faf du Plessis was on Friday ruled out of the ongoing One-Day International (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 for 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 on Saturday, 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.