Inzamam-ul-Haq, former Pakistan captain 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-ul-Haq 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.
Inzamam-ul-Haq: India Has Excellent Bench Strength And Should Not Face Difficulty Even If Some Of Their Key Players Are Injured
Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane are also reportedly struggling with injuries. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Inzamam-ul-Haq stated that while India is facing some fitness issues, they should be confident of putting up a good show in England for having excellent bench strength which was the key to their success in the Australian tour.
“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-ul-Haq said.
Inzamam-ul-Haq gave credit to Rahul Dravid for building Team India’s bench strength. Rahul Dravid is currently coaching the Indian squad in Sri Lanka.
“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,” Inzamam-ul-Haq said.
In the Australian tour, after losing the first Test in Adelaide by eight wickets, India roared back to take the series 2-1, winning the second and fourth Tests in Melbourne and Brisbane respectively, while the third Test match in Sydney ended in a magnificent draw.
With regular skipper Virat Kohli returning home after the first Test, the odds were stacked against India and their stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane. Despite losing several key players to injury as the series progressed, India fought back to register one of their greatest Test series wins of all time.
Being 1-0 down, losing the services of regular skipper Virat Kohli due to his paternity leave, having lost several key players like Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Hanuma Vihari, Ravichandran Ashwin, KL Rahul, and Ravindra Jadeja due to injuries at various stages of 4 match Test series, a second-string Ajinkya Rahane-led India staged a comeback as they won their second straight Test series on Australian soil.
BCCI Issues A Statement Saying Shubman Gill, Washington Sundar, And Avesh Khan Are Ruled Out Due To Injuries
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 Prithvi Shaw and Suryakumar 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.
While Shubman Gill was ruled out due to shin splints suffered during the World Test Championship final against New Zealand, Avesh Khan dislocated a thumb during the warm-up game against County XI while Washington Sundar aggravated his finger injury.
“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.