Captains who did not bat in a test innings due to injury – Sri Lanka’s HMRKB Herath joins the list
HMRKB Herath of Sri Lanka did not bat in the fourth innings of the just concluded first test against India to provide the 20th occasion of a captain not batting in a test innings due to the injury. All such occasions are tabulated below.
HMRKB Herath became the first Sri Lankan captain to suffer such an ignominy and his not batting due to injury at Galle provide the first such occasion against India
| No | Player | absent | Inns | Team | Oppn | Ground | Start Date |
| 1 | RES Wyatt | absent | 3 | Eng | Win | Kingston | 14 Mar 1935 |
| 2 | ML Page | absent | 3 | NZl | Eng | The Oval | 14 Aug 1937 |
| 3 | DG Bradman | absent | 2 | Aus | Eng | The Oval | 20 Aug 1938 |
| 4 | DG Bradman | absent | 3 | Aus | Eng | The Oval | 20 Aug 1938 |
| 5 | FR Brown | absent | 4 | Eng | Aus | Adelaide | 02 Feb 1951 |
| 6 | AD Nourse | absent | 3 | SAF | Eng | Nottingham | 07 Jun 1951 |
| 7 | JDC Goddard | absent | 2 | Win | Eng | The Oval | 22 Aug 1957 |
| 8 | JDC Goddard | absent | 3 | Win | Eng | The Oval | 22 Aug 1957 |
| 9 | MH Mankad | absent | 4 | Ind | Win | Chennai | 21 Jan 1959 |
| 10 | MAK Pataudi | absent | 4 | Ind | Win | Bengaluru | 22 Nov 1974 |
| 11 | BS Bedi | absent | 3 | Ind | Win | Kingston | 21 Apr 1976 |
| 12 | CH Lloyd | absent | 2 | Win | Eng | The Oval | 24 Jul 1980 |
| 13 | SM Gavaskar | absent | 2 | Ind | Eng | The Oval | 08 Jul 1982 |
| 14 | KR Rutherford | absent | 2 | NZl | Srl | Dunedin | 18 Mar 1995 |
| 15 | N Hussain | absent | 3 | Eng | NZl | Lord’s | 22 Jul 1999 |
| 16 | SR Waugh | absent | 3 | Aus | Srl | Kandy | 09 Sep 1999 |
| 17 | RR Sarwan | absent | 2 | Win | Eng | Leeds | 25 May 2007 |
| 18 | RR Sarwan | absent | 3 | Win | Eng | Leeds | 25 May 2007 |
| 18 | GC Smith | absent | 4 | SAF | Aus | Durban | 06 Mar 2009 |
| 20 | HMRKB Herath | absent | 4 | Srl | Ind | Galle | 26 Jul 2017 |
DG Bradman of Australia, JDC Goddard and RR Sarwan of West Indies are the three captains who did not bat in both innings of a test. It is interesting to note all the three captains were injured in a test against England in which they did not bat in both innings.
| No | No | Player | absent | Inns | Team | Oppn | Ground | Start Date |
| 1 | 1 | DG Bradman | absent | 2 | Aus | Eng | The Oval | 20 Aug 1938 |
| 2 | DG Bradman | absent | 3 | Aus | Eng | The Oval | 20 Aug 1938 | |
| 2 | 1 | JDC Goddard | absent | 2 | Win | Eng | The Oval | 22 Aug 1957 |
| 2 | JDC Goddard | absent | 3 | Win | Eng | The Oval | 22 Aug 1957 | |
| 3 | 1 | RR Sarwan | absent | 2 | Win | Eng | Leeds | 25 May 2007 |
| 2 | RR Sarwan | absent | 3 | Win | Eng | Leeds | 25 May 2007 |
HMRKB Herath became the second captain to suffer such an ignominy on Sri Lankan soil. SR Waugh of Australia did not bat in the third innings at Kandy in Sep 1999.
| No | Player | absent | Inns | Team | Oppn | Ground | Start Date |
| 1 | SR Waugh | absent | 3 | Aus | Srl | Kandy | 09 Sep 1999 |
| 2 | HMRKB Herath | absent | 4 | Srl | Ind | Galle | 26 Jul 2017 |