Hosts' cricketing fraternity expresses doubts over India's replacements

Sri Lankan experts not impressed by India's pace replacements

Hosts' cricketing fraternity expresses doubts over India's replacements

India's Test tour of Sri Lanka is in turmoil. Hit by a spate of bowling injuries, skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has tried to put a positive spin on the problems facing the tourists seven days before the crucial first Test in Galle.

With S Sreesanth out with a knee injury, the selectors have drafted in Munaf Patel after the touring team management asked for a replacement. With Zaheer Khan already out of the tour with a shoulder injury that requires medical treatment in South Africa, the injury to Sreesanth could not have come at a worse time for the tourists.

Added to this are the added concerns that fever-hit Harbhajan Singh is to miss the opening game of the tour, a practice match against the Board President XI at Colts Cricket Club stating today.

How will India cope with the disruptions to their touring squad? There will be a heavy reliance on the replacement Patel, whose 34 Test wickets in 12 games have been at a cost of 36.17. He last played in a Test in Wellington 15 months ago.

While the newly married Dhoni and the team management tried to downplay the injury problem, there is obvious concern with the senior bowling ranks decimated and the fever experience by Harbhajan an added fitness problem. "It's not a situation I'd like to be in," said former player and Sri Lankan team manager Ranjit Fernando.
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"I'm sure the replacements will fit in and try and do a job, but it is a disruption I'm sure they can do without."

Concern
He is not the only one who voiced some concern about India's preparedness for the Test tour so soon after the Asia Cup. Another former player Chamara Silva was of a similar opinion, but felt that India also had the resources to overcome such a major setback in such a short time.

"It will be interesting to see how they manage to overcome such a problem," he said. "The problem is restructuring a bowling attack at such short notice. You have players and gameplans worked out. Now the strategies change to suit the different bowlers and the different conditions."

So many injuries is a harbinger for the tourists, it is up to Dhoni to rally the side and make do with what troops he has at his command.