After plenty of yes-no, Gautam Gambhir has been confirmed as a non starter for India, paving the way for Yuvraj Singh for the second Test of the India England series at Trent Bridge, Nottingham. England have one change too in the form of Tim Bresnan for Chris Tremlett as Zaheer Khan sits out to give way to Sreesanth.
Praveen Kumar, Kevin Pietersen
Gautam Gambhir was expected to be fit. In fact, reports from the Indian contingent suggested that Sachin Tendulkar had recovered from the viral infection and Gambhir did not suffer a serious enough injury and would take his place in the opening position for the second Test. Gambhir’s presence was critical given that Virender Sehwag is still not fit and India lost the first Test at Lord’s, making it imperative that India not let England run away with the series.
However, on the eve of the match, feelers were sent that Gambhir may end up warming the bench a la Zaheer Khan whose hamstring strain had forced him to back out during the first Test itself. The declaration though that Gambhir would not play was made only on the morning of the match unlike the case with Zaheer Khan whose absence was announced rather early, ending all speculation.
Gambhir’s absence has now forced a couple of chances upon India. For one, without Zaheer Khan, Sreesanth was the next choice and it seemed a no brainer even though India also have Munaf Patel in their squad. Without Gambhir, Rahul Dravid will be once again forced to bat one spot higher from no.3 to the opening slot. It also means that the vacant spot in the middle order will now necessitate the selection of Yuvraj Singh who lost his place in the Test line up to Suresh Raina.
Yuvraj Singh will now have the one opportunity to show why he still has plenty of Test cricket left in him. Yuvraj Singh had a wonderful ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, earning him the Player of the Tournament and it is the reason why the Indian selectors were keen to give him another crack at Test cricket although Raina took the advantage of Yuvraj Singh’s illness to make a strong debut against Sri Lanka. Yuvraj Singh could have strengthened his comeback with the tour of the West Indies but was ruled out of the series with a respiratory illness. He will now have to make this opportunity count.
From India’s perspective, Gambhir’s absence is a jolt because it shakes up their otherwise consistent opening partnership. With both their regular openers out of the picture, it is upto Abhinav Mukund to rise above his young career and with Rahul Dravid once again the man for all seasons, has to quickly adapt to ensure India do not suffer a second successive shock.
Zaheer’s absence meanwhile will be made up by the trio of Ishant Sharma, Praveen Kumar and Sreesanth who has been named for the second Test. England have also named Tim Bresnan in the line up for Chris Tremlett who bowled well for England in the first Test but also suffered a hamstring injury.
Related Stories
Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir Fit for Second Test at Trent Bridge
Although question marks still abound about Zaheer Khan’s availability for the second India England Test at Trent Bridge, the good news for India is that their batting order should resume their natural order or thereabouts. The problems for India were c
Tremlett Concern for England Ahead of Second Test at Trent Bridge
While India are forced to head into the second Test of the India England series at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, without their spearhead, England have concerns of their own with one of their fast bowlers, Chris Tremlett. England would like to have all their
Dhoni Cites Seven Test Rigourous Schedule for Trent Bridge Defeat
Mahendra Singh Dhoni has the obvious excuse of injured personnel to fall back on for explaining away why India performed so disastrously in the first two Tests of the India England series. But the Indian captain has also raised the issue of a grinding cri
Harbhajan Singh’s Injury Under Scanner After Trent Bridge Test Loss
Harbhajan Singh finds himself caught under the radar after India failed to overcome England twice in a row. With the heavy defeat in the Trent Bridge Test where Harbhajan Singh had a strange role to play, questions are being raised about Harbhajan Singhâ€
Virat Kohli And Co. Enjoy Bike Ride before Formula One Racing ( See Pics)
Is it not known that the Indian cricketers can also love demons of speed? Even as some of the Indian cricket team will fly to Noida for the first Formula One Indian Grand Prix, they did enjoy bike rides, although not on the circuit, with the keys firmly w
