The Fiji Times

India sniffs series victory Foketi to make ‘full recovery’

-

MELBOURNE - Australia centre Lalakai Foketi is expected to make a full recovery from a neck injury that had raised fears for his rugby career and shook his New South Wales Waratahs teammates.

Foketi received lengthy medical treatment at the Waratahs’ training ground on

Thursday before being taken to a hospital by ambulance for scans that cleared him of serious spinal damage.

The Waratahs said yesterday he had been discharged from the hospital on Saturday and was recovering at home.

“It is expected that Lalakai will make a full recovery and we look forward to seeing him back on the field once his rehabilita­tion is complete,” the Waratahs said in a statement that gave no timeline for his return.

Foketi will follow up with specialist­s in coming days, and a Waratahs spokespers­on said it was too early to determine

RANCHI, India - Spin twins Ravichandr­an Ashwin and Kuldeep Yadav combined to rout England in their second innings and put India on course for a seriesclin­ching victory in the fourth test on Sunday.

Off-spinner Ashwin (5-51) and left-arm wristspinn­er Kuldeep (422) shared nine wickets on a turning track to bundle out England for 145 inside two sessions.

Chasing 192 for a victory that would fetch them an unassailab­le 3-1 lead in the five-match series, India cruised to 40 for no loss at stumps on day three.

Skipper Rohit Sharma (24) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (16) have looked unperturbe­d on a pitch, where the ball spun sharply and stayed low occasional­ly.

Earlier, when action resumed

whether the centre could still feature in the 2024 season.

The Waratahs lost 40-22 to the Queensland Reds in their opening match of the Super Rugby Pacific season on Saturday. on Sunday, Dhruv Jurel (90) led a spirited rearguard action to rescue India, who posted 307 all out in reply to England’s first innings 353.

Jurel combined in a 76-run partnershi­p with Kuldeep (28), whose 131-ball vigil was the longest in his test career. Jurel smashed four sixes and six fours in his knock but fell short of a hundred when Tom Hartley (3-68) bowled him.

Off-spinner Shoaib Bashir (5119) claimed his first five-wicket haul in test cricket.

A lead of 46 was much lower than England probably had expected having reduced India to 177-7 before the hosts roared right back into the contest after Ashwin’s triple strikes.

 ?? Picture: REUTERS ?? Lalakai Foketi.
Picture: REUTERS Lalakai Foketi.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Fiji