South Africa skipper Faf du Plessis was today ruled out of the ongoing 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 269/8. 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 T20s.
A replacement captain for the rest of the limited-overs' schedule against India will be named tomorrow, 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.
