India opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan has been ruled out of third Test against New Zealand that begins October 8 in Indore. The 30-year-old suffered a minor fracture to his thumb while batting during the second Test in Kolkata.

Dhawan had been included in the mix after KL Rahul sustained a strain during the series opener in Kanpur. But, the southpaw returned with dismal figures of 1 and 17, with the second innings taking a toll on his thumb twice of Trent Boult.

With Dhawan needing around a fortnight to recover, Gautam Gambhir is likely to make his comeback to the playing XI. Gambhir, who hasn’t feature in a Test since 2014, was included in the squad on the basis of his recent domestic performance.

The selectors, however, have included uncapped batsman Karun Nair as the back-up opener, even as he is highly unlikely to be preferred over Gambhir.

India have already taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match Test series.