Indore: Bhunveshwar Kumar has been ruled out of the third Test of the Paytm Test series against New Zealand after he sustained a back strain in the second Test at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata.

Bhuvneshwar sustained the injury during the second Test in Kolkata, in which he took six wickets including a five-wicket haul in the first innings. Bhuvneshwar's feat in Kolkata was his fourth five-wicket haul in his 15th Test and also his first on home soil.

India are already without the services of pacer ishant Sharma who is recovering from chikungunya which he suffered from before the start of the series.

The All-India Senior Selection Committee has named medium pacer Shardul Thakur as the replacement for injured pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the Indian Team.

Earlier, Karun Nair had replaced injured opener Shikhar Dhawan (left thumb fracture) and Gautam Gambhir has made his comeback into the Indian team replacing an injured KL Rahul (hamstring).