Ishant declared fit for NZ Tests
Seasoned pacer passes fitness test, set to join Indian team ahead of first match
NEW DELHI: India pacer Ishant Sharma passed a fitness test on Saturday after recovering from an ankle injury and will travel to New Zealand for the Test series.
The tall bowler, who returned to Delhi from the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru late on Saturday, is expected to fly to New Zealand on Monday to join the team for the series starting on February 21.
Ishant twisted his ankle on his bowling follow through in Delhi’s Ranji Trophy game against Vidarbha on January 20. Initial reports of MRI done in a Delhi clinic suggested he had suffered a Grade 3 tear and would be out of action for six weeks. That indicated he would be unavailable for the two-test series. “It was a roller coaster ride for me after the injury on my ankle on the 20th January but with the help of Ashish Kaushik I managed to pull it off! Scans were a little scary, but today I am happy that I am fit. Thanks Ashish Kaushik,” tweeted Ishant, who is four short of becoming only the second India fast bowler to play 100 Tests, while thanking the NCA physio.
A Grade 3 tear would require a long time to recover. Experts say MRIS don’t always give the right picture. “Sometimes MRIS would show a Grade 3 tear and based on that the doctors suggest surgery. But in many of these cases, about 50% of the time, MRIS are wrong and we find there is no tear. To check its authenticity, we do our own (physical) tests. It is quite possible this happened in the case of Ishant as well,” said Dr Deep Sury, the Delhi team physiotherapist, who had also worked with Ishant ahead of the Ranji season.
The selectors had included Ishant in the Test squad pending a fitness clearance.
The first Test will be played in Wellington from Feb 21 to 25 and the second in Christchurch from Feb 29 to March 4.
It will be Ishant’s third Test tour of New Zealand, after playing there in 2009 and 2014. He has taken 23 wickets at an average of 30.91 in the five matches.
BUMRAH, SHAMI MAKE THE BALL TALK
HAMILTON: Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami gave an exhibition of high quality fast bowling on day two of India’s warm-up encounter against New Zealand XI, sending a warning signal for the home team ahead of first Test in Wellington.
For the record, New Zealand were bowled out for 235 in 74.2 overs but Bumrah (2/18 in 11 overs) and Shami (3/17 in 10 overs) used the conditions well and in the process added miles to their legs ahead of the two World Test Championship games.
With the pitch easing out, Prithvi Shaw (29 batting off 19 balls) unleashed a series of cover drives including a six off a ramp shot while Mayank Agarwal (23 batting off 17 balls) got a maximum with a Nataraja Shot to finish the day at 53 for no loss.
MUMBAI: Defending champions Mumbai Customs dished out another impressive showing to defeat Central Railway 3-1 in an Elite Division match of the
MDFA League. Customs rode on the brilliance of Rinaldo Fernandes, who scored two goals, and veteran John Coutinho (1) to secure their win.
In a Super Division encounter, twin strikes from Aakash Valmiki powered State Bank of
India to a comfortable 3-0 win.
RESULTS: Elite Div: Mumbai Customs
3 (Rinaldo Fernandes 2, John Coutinho) beat 1 (Akshay K.).
Central Railway SA Super Div: State Bank of India
3 (Aakash Valmiki 2, Brett Stewart) beat
0.
West Zone United