India has been jolted once more after they lost the first game to New Zealand at Dambulla. Ishant Sharma, who was injured before the start of the first game that India lost, may not be able to get fully fit in time, and hence, the Indian selectors have named Munaf Patel as a back-up bowler to Ishant.
After being in the wilderness for fifteen long months, Yuvraj Singh is set to make a major return at the tri-nation series starting August 10th. The three nation series involving India, Sri Lanka and New Zealand will be a major challenge before the World Cup next year in the sub-continent.
India play Sri Lanka in the three Test match series that starts from the 18th of July at Galle. Here are strengths and weaknesses for both the sides for that series:
India has selected Yuvraj Singh in their 16 member squad to tour Sri Lanka for the three Test match series after giving him the axe for the Asia Cup that was played in the same country. What has surprised many of the critics is that without having had any practice during the one month, and without playing any competitive cricket, on what grounds was the dropped player selected in the side.
The Indian side for the Asia Cup came with a lot of surprises as the selectors decided to change things around for the tournament. Yuvraj Singh was dropped from the 15-member squad that got selected for the tournament, whereas Tendulkar was afforded a break. It was said that Tendulkar wanted a break to spend more time with his children before the start of a very hectic schedule ahead.
India crashed out of the ICC World T20 and is still hurting over the three losses in the Super Eights. They have, now, lost six successive games in the Super Eights over two tournaments, and the only team of note that they beat in the tournaments is South Africa. So what must be done now to overcome the issues facing the Indian team in the T20I format?
This is a question that the selectors will be able to answer after they meet in the selection meeting today to decide on which are the players that take the flight to the West Indies for the ICC World T20.