India suffer twin batting blows
India were dealt a double injury blow ahead of the second Test against Sri Lanka, with Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh being ruled out at the eleventh hour
Cricinfo staff
26-Jul-2010
Gautam Gambhir could not recover in time from a troublesome knee, while Yuvraj Singh was down with fever • AFP
India's hopes of drawing level in the Test series against Sri Lanka were dealt a serious blow with Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh being ruled out of the second Test in Colombo. Gambhir was racing against time to recover from a troublesome knee, and the team management decided to leave him out after a final assessment on Monday morning. Yuvraj, who struck an attacking fifty in the first innings of the first Test was down with fever, leaving India without the services of their two first-choice left-hand batsmen.
Murali Vijay and Suresh Raina, who makes his debut, took their places in the side.
India are already fielding a depleted side for the series, with fast bowlers Zaheer Khan and Sreesanth missing out due to injuries. Offspinner Harbhajan Singh was down with flu in the lead-up to the first Test and struggled for fitness through the course of the match.