India vs England 2020-21: Eoin Morgan ruled of remaining ODIs, Jos Buttler to lead England

England has suffered a significant setback in the ongoing three-match One-Day International series against England. Skipper Eoin Morgan has been ruled out of the remaining two ODIs owing to an injured thumb he suffered during the opening ODI on Tuesday.

What happened?
During the Indian innings, Morgan split his webbing on his right thumb and walked off the field. Although he did come out to bat during the English chase, he had to take four stitches and a pain-killer to do so, while he could manage just 22.

Verdict
Meanwhile, he declared himself unfit during the team training on Thursday, thus ruling himself out of the series remainder. Wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler is set to take up the role of the skipper for the remaining two games.

Reaction
"I had the hand re-dressed before the start of training today, but it quickly became apparent that I found myself protecting the injury and getting into the wrong positions to catch the ball. There's nowhere to hide on the field in international cricket these days, especially in limited-over formats, so it didn't require any great thought to make myself unavailable," he told England and Wales Cricket Board.

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"It was a freak injury and it's extremely frustrating, but there's nothing I can do about it. It's now just a case of letting the cut heal. I have every confidence in Jos and the rest of the squad coping without me," he added.

Other injury
In the meantime, fellow English wicketkeeper-batsman Sam Billings has also been ruled out of the second ODI on Friday. He hurt his collar bone while diving in to save a boundary and go off the field. Although he did come out to bat as well during the chase, he could score just 18.

Livingston's reaction
While a decision on Billings' availability in the final ODI would be taken soon, Liam Livingstone is set to earn his ODI cap on Friday. "It's obviously really exciting. I've spent a lot of time around the group over the summer and winter, so it's nice to finally get a chance and really looking forward to tomorrow. It's never nice to see team-mates get injured, but fingers crossed they're not quite as serious as they could have been, so speedy recoveries for them and hopefully, they're back fit for the IPL," said Livingstone.

"It's not just any old team that you're trying to get into. The team are world champions and probably the best white-ball side in the world at the moment, so it's not something you walk into. Being around the group makes you feel more familiar and comfortable about playing for England. I've really enjoyed my time around the group, even though I haven't been playing, so now it's my turn to go out and perform," he concluded.

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