Shivam Dube ruled out of T20I series against Bangladesh, MI star named replacement

India National Cricket Team have suffered a massive blow ahead of the three-match T20I series against the Bangladesh National Cricket Team. All-rounder Shivam Dube, on the eve of the first match between the teams, has been ruled out of all three games.

Shivam Dube suffered a back injury ahead of the first T20I and was deemed unfit to take part in the series. The all-rounder joined the team and sustained the injury during a practice session ahead of the series and was also ruled out of the Irani Cup 2024.

Although the nature of his injury is not known, the team management decided not to risk him and opted for a cautious approach. He has been a regular member of the team in the T20I format for the last few months and has played a vital role in the shortest format of the game.

Shivam Dube's absence will leave a massive void in the Indian team as he played a huge role with both bat and ball. He has been key factor for the team and also was part of the T20 World Cup 2024. His knock with the bat in the final helped the team win the tournament and end their title drought.

BCCI announces Tilak Varma as replacement for Shivam Dube

The Board of Control for Cricket in India released the official statement on development related to Shivam Dube. The governing body also announced Tilak Varma as the replacement for the left-hander, stating that the Mumbai Indians batter will join the team on Sunday morning.

"All-rounder Shivam Dube is ruled out of the three-match T20I series owing to a back injury. The Senior Selection Committee has named Tilak Varma as Shivam’s replacement. Tilak will link up with the squad in Gwalior on Sunday morning."

Adding Tilak Varma to the squad will fill the void left by Dube to a great extent. The Mumbai Indians all-rounder has been one of the most exciting players going around in Indian cricket. Not only for his batting, he also has been handy with the ball. He has played 16 T20 Internationals for India.

Tilak Varma has made a massive impact in the IPL while playing for Mumbai Indians. The young all-rounder has been the mainstay of the franchise's batting lineup for the last few years and also has shown great promise under pressure situations.

Updated India squad for the three-match T20I series against Bangladesh; Shivam Dube ruled out, Tilak Varma added

Here's the updated Indian squad for the three-match T20I series against Bangladesh;

Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Riyan Parag, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Mayank Yadav, Tilak Varma

T20I series between India and Bangladesh will begin on Sunday (6th October)

The T20I series between the two teams will begin on Saturday (6th October) at the Shrimant Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Stadium in Gwalior. After that, the second game will be played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on 9th October, followed by the last match to be played in Hyderabad on October 12.