Bangalore blues hit India hard

Injury list inflates as a knee flare-up rules out Tendulkar, leaving the door open for Yuvraj Singh in the series decider

BANGALORE: Injuries, it seems, can be contagious. If you have doubts, read the recent medical report of the Men in Blue. The Indian dressing room appears to be the epicenter of all possible physical ailments.

Munaf Patel, S Sreesanth, RP Singh, Zaheer Khan, Mahendra Singh Dhoni… And now Sachin. One wonders, by Saturday, the first day of the third and final Test against Pakistan, who else would join the illustrious list.

On Friday, skipper Anil Kumble dropped a bombshell, which could well have sounded deafening for his own ears, that Tendulkar is a doubtful starter for the Test and a back-up has been called. Tendulkar, apparently, aggravated a knee injury that he had sustained sometime during the ODI series.

“While fielding in the Kolkata Test,” read out Kumble, “Sachin aggravated a mild knee problem from the ODI series.

“On arrival in the city, a specialist opinion was sought and an injection was administered.” Kumble then concluded with a deadpan expression: “Should he have failed to recover completely by Saturday morning, we felt it was wise to call for a back-up.”

It’s nearly certain though that Yuvraj Singh will be the one to replace Sachin in the final XI.

The Indian captain, leading for the first time in his home town, could not have expected a bigger shock on the eve of a key match.

With Tendulkar rendered hors de combat, the home team, needing at least a draw to clinch the series, has a bagful of woes.

The team’s key pace bowlers — Zaheer, Munaf, RP Singh and Sreesanth — are injured; the new-ball attack of Irfan Pathan, Ishant Sharma and VRV Singh is untested; wicketkeeper Dhoni is doubtful because of an injury in his left hand; opener Dinesh Karthik is not in the best of form; and back-up batsman Yuvraj Singh has not had much of match practice.

What is more, the conditions — overcast weather — seem to favour the pace battery of the Pakistanis rather than the spin-centric attack of the hosts.

But the good news is that the Indian skipper, a veteran of 120 Tests, has refused to be rattled by things that are not under his control.

“I can’t control the weather. I can’t help the injuries to our players. They are part of the game. We’ll defer our selection till the last minute. We look forward to clinching the series,” he said.

There’s, of course, more hope than conviction in that statement.

Kumble, however, cannot wait for the start of the Test. He has not forgotten the sentimental significance of the occasion.

“When I go out to toss tomorrow, it will be a memorable moment for me. This is the place where I have spent most of the 20 years of my career. I’m looking forward to it.”

Pragmatism and emotions go hand in hand for him. But there was more emotion than pragmatism in the Pakistan camp.

Their skipper, Younis Khan, was and still is ‘reluctant’ to lead the team but cannot escape captaincy.

“I’ve said no to captaincy before and I say this now. But the more I avoid it, the closer I get to the job. I can’t help it,” said the team’s batting mainstay, declaring that all their players, except skipper Shoaib Malik, are fit for the Test.

He, however, has clarified that he would lead the team on the morrow, putting to rest speculations that the team is without a captain.

Younis Khan agreed that the conditions and past records at the venue favour his team. “We’re confident we can win the Test and draw the series,” he said, refusing to disclose the final XI.

He, however, added that Danish Kaneria will be the trump card for the side.