De Villiers ruled out of first three ODIs

Cape Town : Free-scoring batsman AB de Villiers has been ruled out of the first three one-day internationals against India through injury, Cricket South Africa announced yesterday.

De Villiers bruised an index finger attempting to take a catch in the 63-run defeat in the third test against the tourists in Johannesburg. He will need at least two weeks for a full recovery, ruling him out of the 50-over ODIs in Durban, Pretoria and Cape Town, starting on Thursday.

De Villiers has scored 9,515 runs in 225 ODIs at an average of more than 54 and a strike rate of 101. He holds the record for the fastest century in the format, reaching the milestone off only 31 balls against the West Indies in 2015.

The South Africa selectors have not named a replacement, hoping he will be fit in time for the fourth match in the six-game series in Johannesburg on Feb. 10.