“Don’t think Team India will be too worried over injuries, they faced a similar situation in Australia” - Inzamam-Ul-Haq
Former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq has opined that Team India won’t be too flustered over the injury situation in the camp as they prepare for the England Tests. Inzamam pointed out that India faced a similar situation during the Test series in Australia but came out on top as their bench strength came to the party.
The BCCI on Monday confirmed that Suryakumar Yadav and Prithvi Shaw will be heading to England as injury replacements for the Test series.
Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane are also reportedly struggling with injuries. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Inzamam stated that while India are facing some fitness issues, they should be confident of putting up a good show in England. The former batsman said:
“Team India are facing some injury issues in England. Washington Sundar and Shubman Gill are unfit. Virat Kohli has a stiff back but he is trying his best to be fit for the first Test. Ajinkya Rahane also has a hamstring issue. The good thing though is that India have excellent bench strength so they should not face that much difficulty even if some of their key players are injured.”
Inzamam gave credit to Rahul Dravid for building Team India’s bench strength. Dravid is currently coaching the Indian squad in Sri Lanka. Inzamam added:
“Suryakumar Yadav and Prithvi Shaw, who were doing well in Sri Lanka, will now fly to England. I don’t think Team India will be too worried though over injuries. They faced a similar situation in Australia as well but they did not panic at all. The youngsters rose to the occasion and displayed great maturity as if they had been playing for many years. So bench strength really matters a lot. They can pull you out of trouble and I give a lot of credit to Rahul Dravid for the same. In Sri Lanka as well, India won the ODIs and are 1-0 up in the T20Is as well.”
BCCI confirmed Team India’s replacements for England tour on Monday
Ending days of speculation, the BCCI on Monday confirmed that Prithvi Shaw and Suryakumar Yadav have been added to India's Test squad for the tour of England. Both Shaw and Yadav are currently in Sri Lanka for a limited-overs tour.
The BCCI also confirmed that Shubman Gill, Washington Sundar, and Avesh Khan have been ruled out due to injuries while Rishabh Pant has recovered from COVID-19. The BCCI statement said:
"All-rounder Washington Sundar had taken an injection on his right-hand bowling finger. However, his recovery will take longer than expected and he is not bowling-fit.”
“Fast bowler Avesh Khan suffered a blow to his left thumb on Day 1 of the warm-up game. He was taken for an X-Ray and the result confirmed a fracture," BCCI added.
"Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant has recovered from COVID-19 with two negative RT-PCR tests. He has begun his preparations for the upcoming Test series after clearance from the BCCI Medical Team," the statement further read.
The five-match Test series between India and England will begin on August 4 at Trent Bridge in Nottingham.