Umesh Yadav is reportedly out of the Australia tour after suffering a calf muscle injury during the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne. According to sources who spoke with ANI, the injury is a calf muscle tear and he will now be fit only for the upcoming series against England. “His scans came in and he will miss the third and fourth game. So, there was no point in holding him back and it is better that he returns to the country and undergoes rehab at the National Cricket Academy (NCA). He left on Wednesday night,” the source said. Umesh Yadav limped off the field on the third day of the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne after he had bowled four overs. In the first innings, he had bowled well but was erratic at times.
With Umesh Yadav now ruled out for the series, it will be interesting as to who slots in his spot. Mohammed Siraj did a fine job and there is the likes of Shardul Thakur, T Natarajan and Navdeep Saini who are in the team as back-up. T Natarajan made his debut in the ODI and T20Is against Australia while Navdeep Saini is yet to make his Test debut.
Series evenly poised
With Umesh Yadav ruled out, the bowling unit might have to undergo some changes heading into the New Year Test in Sydney. India received another big boost on December 30 when Rohit Sharma finished his quarantine and he came to meet the Indian cricket team in Melbourne. Rohit Sharma had missed the limited overs leg and the two Tests due to a hamstring injury and the quarantine rules in Australia.
Ajinkya Rahane’s brilliant captaincy helped India win the Melbourne Test by eight wickets and level the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 1-1. After been bowled out for 36 in Adelaide and also missing some key players like Virat Kohli and Mohammed Shami, Ajinkya Rahane’s side overcame the odds and managed to pull off a memorable eight-wicket win. This was the third time that Ajinkya Rahane had won as captain while for India, this was their second straight Boxing Day win.
