Both India and Australia have been hit by injuries and may go into the rest of the series with reduced personnel – in terms of their potential! There hasn’t been a single game in the series where the Australians have not lost a player, and for now, India has joined the fray as well, with two of their batsmen not sure of making it through in the series.
Australia, for starters, had already begun the series without four of their main players. Michael Clarke’s long standing issues with his back had made it impossible to come to India, whereas Callum Ferguson had had his knee broken during the Champions Trophy final. Brad Haddin had been half as effective during the Ashes because of his finger injury, whereas Nathan Bracken has been missing out of many a tournament due to his injury issues.
Ever since the series began, Australia went on to lose another set of cricketers. In the first game itself, Brett Lee could bowl only six overs before his elbow gave way and he could not bowl again. The injury proved to be much more serious than was thought, and Lee has had to return back to Australia. In the same game, James Hopes bowled only two overs before limping off with a hamstring strain and the news has it that even he will not be fit enough to participate in the series and hence has had to go back to his country.
In that same game, Mitchell Johnson had almost afforded his countrymen and more importantly, his captain, a scare, as limped off with a twisted ankle. Luckily for him, it did not turn out to be serious and he played in all the games, with no further chances of missing out on the series.
However, that was not the end of the woes for the Aussies, as their wicket-keeper was hit on his hand by a rising delivery from Peter Siddle. He was trying to gather the rising delivery but it hit his finger, and he fractured it! He is already on his way back home and Graham Manou kept wickets in the Delhi game.
The Indians have been hit with injuries to the Delhi duo of Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag. Gambhir was hit on his neck while fielding at short-leg, and that meant that he was out of the field for quite a lengthy period of time. On the other hand, Sehwag was smashed on his shin by a yorker and there is a reasonable chance that he will miss out of at least the Mohali game, if not more!
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