India star Ishant to miss Kanpur Test with viral infection

India will be without fast bowler Ishant Sharma for the first Test against New Zealand in Kanpur, after he came down with chikungunya, a viral infection that comes from mosquito bites.

The BCCI have not called up a replacement for 28-year-old Ishant, as he is their only injury concern and can be covered by the bowlers already in the squad. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, and Mohammed Shami are on hand.

Chikungunya is on the rise in India, and according to the World Health Organisation: “Chikungunya is characterized by an abrupt onset of fever frequently accompanied by joint pain.

“Other common signs and symptoms include muscle pain, headache, nausea, fatigue and rash. The joint pain is often very debilitating, but usually lasts for a few days or may be prolonged to weeks. Hence the virus can cause acute, subacute or chronic disease.

“Most patients recover fully, but in some cases joint pain may persist for several months, or even years.”

While this is a blow for India, the Black Caps are even worse off, as they lost Tim Southee and Jimmy Neesham to various injuries in the past few days, putting much pressure on the spinners in the side.

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