Karun Nair replaces injured Shikhar Dhawan for 3rd Test against New Zealand

Kolkata : Promising Karnataka batsman Karun Nair today replaced injured Shikhar Dhawan in the Indian squad for the third and final cricket Test against Indore, starting October 8. Nair, who played two ODIs for India, got his chance to be a part of the Test squad after Dhawan was ruled out of the third Test following a minor fracture on his left thumb. “The All-India Senior Selection Committee have named batsman Karun Nair as the replacement for injured opener Shikhar Dhawan in the Indian team,” BCCI secretary Ajay Shirke said in a statement. The left-handed Dhawan sustained the fracture after he was hit twice by New Zealand pace spearhead Trent Boult during the second Test, which India won by 178 runs to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the ongoing three-Test series at the Eden Gardens here today. Dhawan, who was hit on his left thumb twice on the third day of the Test yesterday and was taken to a city hospital for scans, has been recommended 15 days rest.