Tendulkar has calf strain, Agarkar may sit out, says Wright
Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar has strained his calf, while medium-pacer Ajit Agarkar may have to sit out the three-day match between Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai and Australia starting at Mumbai on February 22, due to an ankle problem , Coach John Wright said on Sunday.
"Ajit Agarkar is having an ankle problem so he may be sidelined for the match. Sachin Tendulkar has got a calf strain and has not been able to run between the wickets. Physio Andrew Leipus is keeping an eye on them," Wright told reporters at the end of the conditioning camp here in preparation for the upcoming three-Test series.
Tendulkar clarified that his strain was "a minor problem,a negligible one." I should be alright by February 20 or 21 and I do not see it as a fitness problem," he said while emphasising he would play the February 22 three-dayer.
Summing up the camp, captain Saurav Ganguly said, "it is certainly difficult to predict the Test series. We will play to win. One cannot say that we will win by 2-0 or 3-0, but we want to win."
Asked to throw some light on the team's composition for the first Test beginning at Mumbai on February 27, Ganguly said "We do not know. We have to sit with the selectors on February 20 at Mumbai to finalise the combination."
On his impression about the spinners, Ganguly said that the bowlers have been doing well and the India 'A' spinners did a good job at Nagpur yesterday against Australia. Rahul Sanghvi got five wickets, Harbhajan Singh too bowled well.
"Australia were bowled out for 291, which I think was not bad considering they were 148 for seven at one stage. It has been a good start to the series for us. Test matches are important and we know it is going to be a different ball game."
Referring to the Camp, Ganguly said it was probably one of the best camps that he had attended.
"It has been a good camp, probably one of the best that I have attended. We worked hard on all aspects of the game. It is not that we have been out for six or seven hours. We practised only for three or four hours a day. But, by the time we went back to our hotel, we were pretty tired and had the feeling that we had worked hard, which I think is most important."
The camp was a good learning experience, the skipper said and underlined that "you learn everyday in cricket. We do different things on each day and the game teaches you new stuff everyday."
On fitness of players, he said "fitness tests were done on players by doctors. Some did well to pass the test and some could not. It is good that we know where we stand and we can raise our standard of fitness."
Mail Cricket Editor
