'I would have lost six months if I had undergone surgery but now I have gained some time' © AFP

Indian fast bowler Sreesanth has said he has made good progress in his recovery from the shoulder injury that forced him to miss the home Tests against Pakistan and selection for the Test leg of the tour of Australia.

Sreesanth had injured his right shoulder during the final ODI against Pakistan in Jaipur in November and consulted an orthopedic surgeon in Delhi. He was advised to undergo surgery, but decided against it and instead got in touch with an ayurvedic practitioner in Coimbatore.

"I am feeling good and the ayurvedic treatment I underwent at Coimbatore really helped," Sreesanth said. "Though all the surgeons I consulted did speak about the need to undergo surgery, I thought I would try ayurveda and believe me, I have recovered well. I would have lost six months if I had undergone surgery but now I have gained some time and I am able to bowl, bat and even throw, which was a bit of a problem earlier on."

Sreesanth is confident of being fit in time for the third Test against Australia in Perth starting January 16, should the team management require more fast bowlers as back-up. "I am confident that I will be fit in time for the third Test in Australia, but unfortunately I won't get a game before that as Kerala is out of the Ranji Trophy Plate League," he said. "But I have worked hard, have done about seven sessions per day and have even lifted weights."

Incidentally, Sreesanth was one of the players singled out in Indian team physio John Gloster's report to the Indian board on the status of injury management among the players. He indicated that Sreesanth's rehab could have been hastened had there been adequate facilities and expert help in Cochin, where he lives.