[1]Durban, Dec. 25: India’s chances of a series-levelling victory in the Boxing Day Test beginning from Sunday have been dealt a massive hit with Gautam Gambhir not recovering from a crushing blow to his knuckles in the first match at Centurion.
Gambhir was hit on the gloves by a climbing ball from South African pacer Morne Morkel in the second innings.
He went on to score 80 without too much trouble a week back, but has been in discomfort in India’s three net sessions in the build-up to the second Test.
India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni admitted Gambhir’s injury was a concern ahead of the second Test.
“Gautam has a bit of a niggle in his left hand. He got hit during the last Test. We can only take a call once we receive the formal report from the physio. He batted today also, but he has a bit of a swelling,” Dhoni told reporters.
On Saturday, Gambhir spent most of the practice session nursing his swollen left hand with an ice-pack, after batting for about 20 minutes. He was hit again in the area around the knuckles on the day, forcing him to cut short his net session.
The team management has left the final decision to Gambhir. “We’ll see how his hand is in the morning. This is an important Test and if he feels fine, there’s no reason why he won’t play,” team manager Ranjib Biswal told this newspaper.
In case Gambhir doesn’t get fit in time, reserve opener Murali Vijay is likely to take his place at the top along with opener Virender Sehwag. Vijay had last played against Australia in Bangalore, scoring 139 and 37 after Gambhir was forced to sit out due to a knee injury.
Pic Caption:
Gautam Gambhir in action during the Indian team training session in Durban on Saturday.
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