Injuries hound Team India

There seesms to be no respite for the Indian Team from the agony that keeps piling up in their hapless tour of England. In a latest addition to the list of woes, the injury-ravaged side lost opener Virender Sehwag and pacer Ishant Sharma to injury in the lone Twenty20 and five-match one-day series, starting August 31.

"Mr. Virender Sehwag and Mr. Ishant Sharma have been ruled out of the forthcoming ODI series against England," the BCCI secretary N Srinivasan said in a statement.

Sehwag, who had joined the team midway through the Test series after recuperating from a shoulder surgery, now has an ear infection to deal with, while Ishant has suffered a ligament injury in his left ankle.

"Mr. Sehwag suffered from labyrinthithis of the left ear on 24 July 2011. Although his condition has improved, he continues to experience headaches. An ENT specialist, who was consulted on the same, has said that he will take two more weeks to recover completely," BCCI statement read.
"Mr. Sehwag has made good progress since the surgery on his right shoulder. He will be continuing rehabilitation to build up his throwing and bowling fitness."

However the ear infection seems to be not the only reason for his departure. Sehwag was seen massaging his troublesome right shoulder and seeking physio Ashish Kaushik's attention on the field during the course of his 67-ball 33 in India's second innings of the fourth and final Test at the Oval on Sunday. Sehwag went under the surgeon's knife after this year's Indian Premier League ended in May. He was named as the 17th member of the squad to England with the word he would join the touring party "after a fortnight”. Speculations are therefore rife about whether he was fully fit to play and international test match and if perhaps his return was slightly pre,mature. Furthermore, if his retunr had been hurried in any way by the board or the BCCI, they may be in the eye of a fresh scandal.

The flamboyant batsman was nowhere near his customary flair as he made a king's pair in the third Test at Edgbaston and contributed eighth and 33 in the ongoing match here.