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Tom Curran ruled out of India series after side strain

Tom Curran nets for England ahead of a potential Test debut at the MCG Getty Images

Tom Curran has been ruled out of England's limited-overs games against India with a strain in his left side.

He has been replaced in the ODI squad by his younger brother, Sam Curran. Dawid Malan had already been called into the T20I squad as cover.

While the replacement of Curran, a seamer, with a batsman, Malan, raised a few eyebrows, an England spokesman confirmed on Monday that Matt Fisher and Reece Topley had been considered for a call-up, but the team management concluded they would be better served playing for England Lions against India A instead.

Tom Curran has returned to The Oval where his rehabilitation will be supervised by both the Surrey and England medical teams. He joins Chris Woakes and Ben Stokes on the sidelines, though Stokes is expected to play for Durham as a specialist batsman on Thursday. If he comes through that unscathed, he will join up with the England squad with a view to being considered for selection for the final T20I against India on Sunday.