India’s chances of making a comeback in the five-Test series against England have been hit hard with a spate of injuries to their leading bowlers.
Ishant Sharma, who had been ruled out of the third Test with a “sore leg”, is sure to miss the fourth Test at Old Trafford too. But the biggest worry for captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is a swelling on the ankle of their star performer Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
The swing bowler has not only been the team’s leading wicket-taker with 15 wickets but also been very effective with the bat scoring 228 runs, including three fifties.
“I think, Bhuvi seemed to be a bit tired,” Dhoni said. While the Indian captain remained hopeful of Kumar’s presence in the fourth Test beginning this Thursday, he ruled out Ishant.
“Definitely he won’t be fit for the next game,” Dhoni said. “Never really had a discussion with our physio, but as of now he won’t be available for the fourth Test match.”
Despite the staggering defeat, Dhoni was optimistic of India’s chances by counting the positives from the ruins of Southampton.
“I don’t think we played good cricket over here but at the same time I think we played the fast bowlers well.
“I am quite happy with the effort put in by fast bowlers. It was a different kind of wicket, where you have to hit the deck hard to get some purchase. That’s where I found Pankaj (Singh) very impressive. He is a tall guy and got fair amount of bounce and was unlucky not to get a few wickets.
The Indian captain firmly believes his team has the talent to bounce back. “Definitely, when it comes to the talent part, yes,” he said.
“It will just be the mental approach, to be a bit more positive when it is in your areas, go ahead with your shot even if you get out playing that shot.
“Back yourself because at the end of the day, what cricket really is is about the amount of runs you score and the wickets you take. You don’t have to survive for long if you are scoring quickly,” he added.
Reserve wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha returned home due to an unspecified injury and will replaced by India A ’keeper Naman Ojha.