Injured Ishant to miss the first ODI against England

Rajkot, Nov 12 (PTI) India suffered a big setback ahead of the first cricket one-dayer against England with pace bowling hero Ishant Sharma being ruled out of the first game due to a mild ankle injury.

The lanky Ishant, who bagged the man-of-the-series honour
in the recent Test series against Australia with 15 wickets,
has been advised rest for five days which has also put a
question mark on his avaibility for the second match in Indore
on Monday.

"Ishant Sharma has got a mild ankle sprain and he has
been advised rest for five days. He is undergoing his
rehabilitation at present and is making good progress. Hence
he would not be available for the first ODI against England",
the Board of control for Cricket in India (B.C.C.I.) said in a
press release.

The B.C.C.I. has not named a substitute for Ishant in the
15-member ODI squad which has three specialist pacemen in
Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel and Rudra Pratap Singh.

Ishant's injury could now pave the way for R P Singh to
feature in the opening match here on Friday.

Ishant has made a big impact with his exploits in recent
times with many experts predicting a bright future for the
20-year-old Delhi speedster.

England will play seven one-dayers and two Tests
during their tour of India. PTI