Dhoni ruled out of Asia Cup due to side strain

Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has reportedly been ruled out of the upcoming Asia Cup tournament, to be held in Bangladesh, because of a side strain which he sustained during the recent New Zealand tour.

The Indian team returned home from the tour where New Zealand won the one-dayers 4-0 and also clinched the two-Test series 1-0.

According to Sport24, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said in a statement that top-order batsman Virat Kohli would lead the side in the five-nation tournament, which starts on Feb 25, while Dinesh Karthik will replace Dhoni as wicket-keeper.

The statement further said that Dhoni suffered a grade-one strain to his left side during the second Test against New Zealand in Wellington and will undergo rehabilitation for 10 days, although he is expected to be fit for the World Twenty20, which will also be played in Bangladesh from March 16.

The report mentioned that India play hosts Bangladesh in their first Asia Cup match in Fatullah next Wednesday.

India's revised Asia Cup squad:

Kohli (captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ambati Rayudu, Ajinkya Rahane, Karthik, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Varun Aaron, Stuart Binny, Amit Mishra, Ishwar Pandey.