Rayudu replaces injured Tiwary for England T20s

Ambati Rayudu was named as a replacement for injured batsman Manoj Tiwary in the Indian cricket squad for the two Twenty20s against England later this month.

"Manoj Tiwary has been ruled out of the T20 International Series against England, on account of a side strain. The All-India Senior Selection Committee has picked Ambati Rayudu as his replacement in the Indian team for the series," BCCI Secretary Sanjay Jagdale said on Tuesday.

The 27-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman is currently leading Baroda in the Ranji Trophy.

A back injury will keep Tiwary out of competitive cricket for at least a month and half.

Tiwary suffered a muscle tear and has left for a comprehensive rehabilitation programme at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore under physio Nitin Patel.

"The MRI report has come and I am leaving for Bangalore tomorrow. I will follow what physio Nitin Patel tells me to do once he checks the report. As of now it looks like six weeks," Tiwary said from Rajkot.

The injury means that Tiwary is unlikely to be considered for selection for the Pakistan series as well as the five-match ODIs against England.

The Bengal skipper was found writhing in pain while batting in the first innings of his team's Ranji Trophy match against Saurashtra in Rajkot.

India's two T20Is against England are scheduled on December 20 and 22 in Pune and Mumbai respectively.