Rohit Sharma, Deepak Chahar and Kuldeep Sen have been ruled out of the third ODI against Bangladesh because of their respective injuries. Rohit suffered a blow to his left thumb while fielding in the slips during the second ODI. He came out to bat at No. 9, with stitches on his hand, but is a doubt for the Test series as well, which begins on December 14 and is part of the World Test Championship.
Chahar hurt his hamstring and could bowl only three overs, while Sen sat out of the match with a stiff back.
"Kuldeep, Deepak and Rohit will certainly miss the next game," India's head coach Rahul Dravid said after the game. "Kuldeep and Deepak are out of the series, Rohit as well will certainly miss the next game, fly back to Bombay, consult with an expert and see how it is and whether he can come back for the Test matches or not, I'm not sure. It's too soon to say that. But all three of them won't play the next game for sure."
"It [the thumb] is not too great," Rohit said at the post-match presentation*. "There was a bit of dislocation on the finger and some stitches. Luckily, it's not a fracture and so that's a good thing, that's a positive, which is why I could come out and bat."
Rohit was fielding at second slip in the second over, bowled by Mohammed Siraj, when Bangladesh opener Anamul Haque edged behind. Rohit could not hold on as the ball dipped on him, even though he got both hands to it. The ball hit his thumb, and he walked off the field immediately for treatment, and was sent for scans soon after.
He didn't come out for the rest of the Bangladesh innings, with vice-captain KL Rahul leading the side in his absence.
Rohit did not open the innings either, as Virat Kohli moved up a spot to partner Shikhar Dhawan at the top of the order. He eventually walked in at No. 9, with India needing 65 to win from 44 balls. He and Chahar, who came in at No. 8 but didn't look 100%, added six off 15 deliveries for the eighth wicket before Ebadot Hossain removed Chahar.
Rohit, though, kept attacking and finding boundaries to bring the equation down to 12 needed off three balls, and then six off the final delivery. But Mustafizur Rahman nailed the yorker to seal the match and the series for Bangladesh. Rohit finished on 51 not out off 28 balls, which included three fours and five sixes.
"It was phenomenal," Dravid said of the innings. "I think for him to show that level of courage. He had a serious dislocation, he had to go to the hospital to get that set right, stitches in his hand, a couple of injections to go out and bat. Credit to him, he was really determined to go out and have a go and take a chance and it's amazing how close he got us with that innings, it was an absolutely phenomenal innings by the skipper. Great courage to be able to go out there and give us a chance."
Rohit came back for this ODI series after skipping the white-ball tour of New Zealand, which was right after the T20 World Cup in Australia. This is only the third ODI series he is playing this year of the eight India have played. His last ODI series was in England in July and, with a focus on T20s because of the World Cup, he skipped three games in the West Indies, three in Zimbabwe, three at home against South Africa, and the recent ODIs in New Zealand.
Chahar, meanwhile, has had a tough time with injuries this year. First, he tore a quadricep muscle during India's T20Is against West Indies in February. Then, he picked up a back issue while undergoing rehab for the quad injury at the National Cricket Academy. He missed the IPL that followed and did not play again until India's tour of Zimbabwe in August. But in October, a stiff back ruled him out of the final two ODIs against South Africa. He was expected to travel to Australia at the end of the series along with other reserve players for the T20 World Cup.
* The story was updated at 3pm GMT on December 7, 2022 to include Rohit and Dravid's quotes.