Praveen Kumar to miss first three ODIs Against West Indies

India suffered a set back just before the start of the five-match ODI series against the West Indies after pace spearhead Praveen Kumar was ruled out for the first three matches of the series due to a chest injury. This adds to the list of injuries that have plagued Praveen Kumar since the start of the year. 

Praveen Kumar has been bothered by an elbow injury since January. This forced him to miss the 2011 World Cup. He came back strongly and performed well during the recent tours of West Indies and England. The elbow injury resurfaced during the recent T20I against England at Kolkata and he requested the BCCI for some rest ahead of the Test series at home against the West Indies. 

"Praveen Kumar has a niggle and so he is not available for the first ODI. We expect him to join the squad tomorrow and be fit for the second match," Sehwag said earlier. 

However, BCCI secretary Sanjay Jagdale issued a statement saying, "Praveen Kumar has got an injury on the left side of his chest, and has therefore been ruled out of the first three ODIs against the West Indies. Abhimanyu Mithun will replace him in the squad for the first three games." 

In the absence of Praveen Kumar, R Vinay Kumar will lead the pace attack along with Umesh Yadav and Varun Aaron.