A suspected hairline fracture to Yuvraj Singh's finger has left India worried as they go they go into the opening cricket one-dayer against Sri Lanka here tomorrow with a question mark on the avaibility of the dashing left hander.
It will be a big setback for India if the southpaw, who injured his left little finger while fielding in the last T20 match in Mohali, ends up warming the benches even though team management is keen to play him in the series-opener.
Yuvraj had played a pivotal role in levelling the T20 series against the same opponents as his blistering unbeaten 25-ball 60 had helped India achieve the biggest ever run-chase in the shortest format of the game in Mohali.
The team management will wait till tomorrow morning to decide on fielding Yuvraj, who scored an unforgettable hundred last year here by simply wading into the England bowling, in the series opener.
In case Yuvraj is unable to take the field, either Virat Kohli or local boy Ravindra Jadeja is expected to come into the playing 11.
But losing a man of Yuvraj's abilities on what is expected to be another belter of a wicket at the Madhav Rao Scindia (Race Course) stadium would be a big loss to India who are keen to keep up their momentum and start the five-match ODI series on a resounding note. India are already without paceman S Sreesanth for the first two ODIs after he tested positive for swine flu virus and if Yuvraj too is declared unfit to play it would be double blow though they have good bench strength to overcome these fitness setbacks.
The return of Sachin Tendulkar, Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh and Praveen Kumar, who were not part of the T20 team, has strengthened the hosts' batting and bowling line-up.
India, who thrashed Lanka in the Test series 2-0 before going off the boil in the first T20 which it lost in Nagpur, has regained its winning form and would be eager to show that the 2-4 loss to an injury-drained Australia team before the visit by the Lankans was an aberration.
India, currently second behind Australia in the ICC ODI ratings, have the added incentive as a clean sweep in the five-match rubber would help them narrow the gap with the front runners.
India, with 122 ratings points, are eight behind Australia and can reduce the gap to four ratings points if they whitewash the Lankans, a task easier said than done.
In the loss against Australia, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who is two victims short of completing 200 dismissals as a wicket keeper in ODIs and is also closing in on the 5000-run mark with 4954 runs to his credit in 151 ties, and his men came
close to winning some matches only to slip up badly to lose momentum and the series.
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