Trent Bridge, August
06:
Leg-spinner Anil Kumble will undergo a test on his injured calf
on Wednesday to ascertain if he would be fit to play in the
second Test against England starting here Thursday.
This is the third time in
the tour that Kumble has been afflicted by the calf injury and
this has cast a doubt over his inclusion in the team for the Test.
Kumble was first injured
during a NatWest triangular one-day game against England at Oval
and needed a runner while batting.
According to physio
Andrew Leipus the bowler was also troubled by the injury after the
first two sessions of play during the first Test at Lord's after
which he was rested for the four-day game against Worcestershire
last week.
Though Kumble was very
confident of being fit in time for the Trent Bridge Test, the
physio said they wanted to be absolutely sure the injury does not
recur during the match.
Meanwhile, captain Sourav
Ganguly himself developed a little sprain in his neck while
batting during nets but soon recovered to bat for over an hour.
Ganguly began the nets by
facing Harbhajan Singh, Sanjay Bangar and Tinu Yohannan and later
also called Ashish Nehra to test him with a few short pitched
deliveries.
The Indians had an
optional practice at Trent Bridge today and but for Ganguly, no
senior batsman of the side was present.
Apart from the skipper,
the practice session was attended by two wicketkeepers, Ajay Ratra
and Parthiv Patel, besides the bowlers.
It was a rain-free day
here today and the groundsmen promptly got down to shaving grass
off the pitch.
The practice by the
Indians was followed by that of the England team but the news on
the fitness of fast bowler Simon Jones wasn't encouraging for the
side.
Jones had a scan done on
his side strain which showed small amount of soft tissues swelling
on one of his ribs but no bone abnormalities.
According the Andy
Walpole, media manager of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB),
"subject to ongoing treatment, he is being targeted for the
championship match against Durham on August 16.
"It will give him an
outside chance of being fit for the third Test at Headingley
(starting on August 22)," said Walpole.
