Ishant Sharma ruled out of 1st Test against New Zealand

Kanpur, Sep 20: Indian fast bowler Ishant Sharma was today (September 20) ruled out of the 1st Test against New Zealand, which starts here Thursday (September 22). The paceman is recovering from chikungunya.

Indian squad; Photo gallery" title="Ind-NZ series schedule; Indian squad; Photo gallery" />Ind-NZ series schedule; Indian squad; Photo gallery

Coach Anil Kumble, on Tuesday, confirmed that the team management had not asked for a replacement for Ishant.

"Ishant Sharma is recovering from chikungunya. So he is not available for this Test match. We will be closely monitoring with the doctor, on his progress and then we will take a call about his fitness after this Test match. For this Test match, the team management has decided we won't need a replacement. We have 14 players and we will do the selection from that (squad)," Kumble told reporters today.

The 28-year-old Ishant is the most experienced bowler in the squad with 72 Test caps. He has 209 wickets.

India and New Zealand will play 3 Tests. The 1st five-day game will be the 500th Test for Team India.

India's 15-man squad, captained by Virat Kohli, has 4 fast bowlers including Ishant. Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar are the other three.

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