South Africa skipper AB de Villiers, who is nursing a hamstring
injury, will undergo fitness Test ahead of their penultimate Champions
Trophy group clash against India to be held at the Kennington Oval on
Sunday. The 33-year-old sustained the injury during his side’s 19-run
defeat against Pakistan in the second Group B clash at the Edgbaston
Cricket Ground on Wednesday.
He was seen clutching his hamstring while fielding in the second
innings of the match and was subsequently forced to leave the field
briefly before making a return shortly. Reflecting on his injury,
Cricket South Africa (CSA) confirmed that de Villiers would have to
undergo fitness test on Saturday to determine his availability for the
India clash.
The Proteas skipper has not clicked with the bat as of yet in the
ongoing eight-team marquee event, having scored four and 0 against Sri
Lanka and Pakistan, respectively. His golden duck against Pakistan was
his first of the ODI career.
If de Villiers forced to rule out of the match, Faf du Plessis is
most likely to step in as stand-in captain while Farhaan Behardien is
likely to be called-up into the Playing XI. With all the four teams of
Group B tied on two points each, Sunday’s encounter between India and
South Africa is effectively a quarter-final, with the winner of the
match making it to the semi-finals while the loser will be heading home.
