Yuvraj doubtful for first SA Test

The injury woes of the Indian team worsened as Yuvraj Singh was the latest to join the list of the walking wounded. “Yuvraj has a torn cartilage in his left wrist but he will stay till this game. He is out for a while though and will struggle to make it for the first Test against South Africa,” Gary Kirsten said.

Speaking about Rahul Dravid, who suffered a facial fracture due to a bouncer from Bangladesh speedster Shahadat Hossain during the second day of the second Test at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium, Kirsten said: “Dravid has got quite a nasty injury to his face. He is currently staying with us in Bangladesh. Later, he will consult a specialist to find out what’s to be done and how long he would be out. For Dravid, we don’t have the long-term prognosis yet.”

Sachin Tendulkar too survived a scare when he fell on his shoulder while attempting to catch Tamim Iqbal’s miscued hit here on Tuesday evening. However Kirsten said that there was nothing to worry. “Tendulkar is okay and he will be fine.”

Earlier there was no clear and concise information about the injury status of key players. The day began with manager Arshad Ayub saying, “Yuvraj is ruled out of the match.” However when M.S. Dhoni seemed headed towards a probable century, Yuvraj was padded up to come in at number 11 though he stayed back after his skipper was dismissed and the Indian first innings was declared. In discomfort, Yuvraj never came to field later in the afternoon and Kirsten’s words confirmed the worst fears.

For Dravid, Monday’s mixed bag of equalling Sir Don Bradman with 29 centuries and getting struck by a bouncer, was followed by a discharge from the hospital on Tuesday morning. Dravid may leave for home on Wednesday.

The injuries to Dravid, Yuvraj and the earlier ones suffered by V.V.S. Laxman and S. Sreesanth will pose tricky questions for the selectors when they meet at Mumbai on Thursday, to pick the Indian team for the two Tests against South Africa at Nagpur (Feb. 6-10) and Kolkata (Feb. 14-18).