Kumar Ruled Out Of First Three West Indies ODIs

Kumar Ruled Out Of First Three West Indies ODIsPraveen Kumar has been ruled out of the first three matches of the series

Indian swing bowler Praveen Kumar has been ruled of the first three One-Day Internationals against the West Indies in Cuttack, Visakhapatnam and Ahmedabad with a chest injury.

Kumar had returned to the squad having missed the Test series, which India won 2-0, but he now has been replaced by Abhimanyu Mithun.

"Praveen Kumar has a niggle so he is not available for the first ODI," Virender Sehwag, who is captaining the side in the absence of the rested Mahendra Singh Dhoni, said.

"We expect him to join the squad tomorrow and be fit for the second match."

However, despite Sehwag's optimistic outlook, the Indian board (BCCI) has confirmed that he would not be fit until the fourth match in Indore on 8th December.

Mithun has played two ODIs in his career to date, making his debut in 2010 against South Africa and then playing against New Zealand later that year. He has also played in four Tests.

The five-match series is India's final assignment before they depart for Australia or a much-anticipated tour in which they play four Tests, two Twenty20 Internationals followed by an ODI tri-series also including Sri Lanka in December, January and February.

Kumar was named in India's Test squad for the tour having not played a Test since performing well in the West Indies and England.

He has, however, been struggling with an elbow injury that kept him out of India's victorious 2011 World Cup campaign.