Broken thumb rules Gunaratne out of entire India series

All-rounder Asela Gunaratne was ruled out of the remainder of the India series after suffering a serious fracture in his left thumb, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) confirmed on Thursday.

Gunaratne, who picked up the injury on the first morning of the opening Test on Wednesday, will be out of action for at least six to eight weeks following reconstructive surgery in Colombo.

SLC confirmed there was no chance of a return in the One-day International (ODI) or T20I legs of the tour either.

"It is a sad one -- just below his thumb there are about three pieces of bone," SLC cricket manager Asanka Gurusinha said.

"It is pretty serious. As soon as we saw the X-ray, we realised it was serious, so we sent him to Colombo," he added.

The loss of Gunaratne is a substantial blow to the hosts, considering his recent batting form and the balance which he brings to the side with his slow bowling.

"We lost Asela as both batsman and bowler," Gurusinha said. "He is a fighter, and he has been scoring a lot of runs. Losing him is going to put lot of pressure on us."

--IANS

tri/vm