Imrul Kayes ruled out of one-off India Test

Bangladesh call in Mosaddek Hossain as replacement for injured opening batsman

DHAKA: Bangladesh suffered a blow before their maiden Test match in India as opening batsman Imrul Kayes was ruled out due to thigh injury on Monday.

"Imrul pulled his thigh muscle while fielding today during the two-day warm-up match against the India A team," said chief selector Minhajul Abedin. "He suffered the same injury in New Zealand, so we thought it’s appropriate that he should not continue."

Uncapped batsman Mosaddek Hossain has been called in as a replacement.

Imrul did not bat during the two-day match against India A, which ended in a draw. It was the only warm-up fixture before the Test in Hyderabad, the first to be played by Bangladesh on Indian soil since the tourists gained full Test status 17 years ago.

Soumya Sarkar is expected to open the innings along with Tamim Iqbal when the one-off match gets underway on February 9.

Imrul will return to the side for next month's tour of Sri Lanka provided he is declared fit.