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Sehwag is unfit and due to return home
There seems no end to India's misery in the ongoing tour of England with speculation rife that the injury-ravaged side could be without Virender Sehwag in the upcoming One-Day International series despite the star opener's assertions of being fit before joining the squad.
Apparently, Sehwag's recently-operated right shoulder is far from healed but that is not the only physical issue plaguing him on this tour. He is also said to have hearing problems with his left ear for which he is taking medicines and steroids.
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There is no official word from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) yet.
The last time team manager Anirudh Choudhry reacted to such reports a couple of days ago, he said the speculation was "baseless" but a top board source has confirmed that Sehwag is unfit and due to return home.
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Sehwag was not fully fit when he left for England
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.
Even as television commentators wondered what had caused pain to Sehwag's shoulder for he had only stroked the previous delivery into covers for a single, it has been learnt that the Delhi dasher was never 100 per cent fit before he left home to join the ranks for the tour match at Northampton in the first week of this month.
The BCCI's stance would likely be that Sehwag came fully fit to England but his shoulder troubles flared up again.
Who is to blame for Sehwag's injury woes?
It would snowball into a scandal if Sehwag indeed returns home this week and send tongues wagging on who took a call on the state of his fitness and put him aboard the flight to England.
If it was the BCCI, which fast-tracked his return to England because of team's poor performance, it not only did a disservice to the besieged team but also put the career of India's most explosive batsman in danger.
If indeed it was Sehwag who put his hand up to join the touring party after the second Test at Trent Bridge early this month, he would have trouble explaining why, not the least because it hurt the team further and spiked the chance of someone like Abhinav Mukund who had scored a hundred to Sehwag's 8 in the two-day practice-cum-trial match against Northamptonshire.
Sehwag went under the surgeon's knife after this year's Indian Premier League (IPL) 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."
It's unclear if Sehwag would return home
Sehwag, at a an event in India, had stated he was perfectly fit. On the early few days of the England tour, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni kept saying he wasn't sure if Sehwag would join the team after the second or third Test.
Sehwag made a king's pair at Edgbaston and was out for 8 and 33 from the two innings of the present Test at the Oval.
It's unclear if he would return home or stay put in England like Zaheer has even though the latter is out of action for at least "14-16 weeks" after undergoing an ankle surgery.
Sehwag wants to skip the ODI series
It is learnt Sehwag has conveyed his medical troubles to two selectors presently in England -- Narendra Hirwani and Surendra Bhave --- and sought to be excused for the five-match ODI series.
The selectors apparently have conveyed the news to their other colleagues and BCCI, which apparently has acceded to the batsman's request.
The members of the One-Day team, along with new team manager Shivlal Yadav, is already in London. The BCCI is likely to make public the news on Sehwag by Tuesday.
They also ought to announce a replacement for Sehwag soon for the limited-overs series starting with a one-off Twenty20 match on August 30.