India to take depleted pace attack into Sri Lanka series
India will take a severely undermanned pace attack into their upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka, with http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shanthakumaran-Sreesanth-c89725 now set to join fellow fast bowler Zaheer Khan on the sidelines.
Sreesanth injured his knee during training and has been ruled out of the series and with Zaheer (shoulder) already set to miss the three Tests against the Sri Lankans, concerns over the No. 1 ranked Test side’s pace attack must surely be mounting.
With Sreesanth heading home to recover from his injury, Munaf Patel, who has not played in the five-day format since April last year, has gained a call up to the Test squad along with Zaheer’s replacement the 20-year-old Abhimanyu Mithun, who would be making his Test debut should he be selected in the playing XI for this series.
India also face a wait on the fitness of spinner Harbhajan Singh, who has been suffering from a bacterial infection in the lead-up to the first Test on July 18th.
While http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758 last week named a Test squad for the series, which begins on July 8th, including two fast bowlers who have missed some Test cricket in recent times in slinger Lasith Malinga and Dilhara Fernando.
Malinga’s 28-match-old Test career stalled in December 2007 after it had yielded 91 wickets but could be reignited if he gets the nod for the starting XI during the series, while Fernando would resume a Test career that has lain dormant since http://www.senore.com/Cricket/March-c74391 2009 if he’s selected in Sri Lanka’s pace attack during this series.
Sri Lanka, who defeated India 2-1 the last time they hosted them in a Test series in 2008 but lost 2-0 when they toured India for the return series late in 2009, will surely be hoping they can claim another series victory against India on home soil this time around, and can’t be disappointed at the injury woes their opponents are facing just days away from the opening Test.
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