South Africa’s Vernon Philander has been ruled out of the remainder of the Test series against India after suffering an ankle injury during a practice session here on Thursday. The seamer will be replaced by Kyle Abbott, who is expected to join the squad on Friday.
Philander twisted his left ankle as the South African team was warming up at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. He limped a few paces, wincing in pain, before being carried off the field.
“Vernon stepped on Dean’s (Elgar) foot by accident in our warm-up,” A.B. de Villiers said afterwards. “A freakish accident...I’ve seen much worse before. He’s very unlucky.”
Philander was subsequently taken to HOSMAT Hospital, where scans revealed that he had sustained a ligament tear in the left ankle. “At this moment it is still too early to tell but he will be out for a period of at least six to eight weeks,” the Proteas team manager, Dr. Mohammed Moosajee, was quoted as saying by Cricket South Africa.
The news will come as a major blow for South Africa, which is already sweating over the fitness of Dale Steyn ahead of the second Test, set to begin here on Saturday. Steyn, who is recovering from a groin injury, will undergo a final fitness test on Friday morning.
CSA confirmed that J.P. Duminy and Morne Morkel had fully recovered from their injuries and were available for selection for the second Test.
