Blow for Australia: star player suffers calf injury ahead of Sydney Test against India

Australia’s batting depth has suffered as stand-in wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis will be ruled out of the final Test of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against India due to injury, according to the ICC. Inglis injured his calf while fielding second pitch on the second day of the fourth Test at the MCG, with a Cricket Australia spokesman confirming the 29-year-old will not feature in the India series finale in Sydney. Australia will name Inglis’ replacement ahead of the fifth Test, which begins on January 3, and the hosts are confident he will be ready for next month’s tour of Sri Lanka, which includes two Tests as part of the ICC World Test Championship series.

“Josh Inglis suffered a minor calf injury while fielding on the second day of the fourth Test match against India and will leave the team to undergo rehabilitation. Replacements in the squad for the fifth Test match in Sydney will be announced in due course. “Inglis is expected to be available for Australia’s tour of Sri Lanka, which follows the home Test series,” the ICC quoted Cricket Australia as saying.

Although Inglis is yet to make his Test debut, he has played over 50 white-ball matches for Australia and was a key member of the team that won the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in India last year.

Good form at home has seen Inglis Test’s stock rise and the right-hander is in contention for his first cap in Melbourne before star batter Travis Head proved match-ready.

The current BGT series level is 1-1 and both sides will play the much-anticipated Boxing Day Test, aiming to secure the all-important series lead needed to advance the ICC World Test Championship final.

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