Southampton: Having made significant recovery from his shoulder injury, Kedar Jadhav’s active participation in successive net sessions augurs well for the Indian team even though he remains a doubtful starter for the World Cup opener against South Africa.
The Indian team management will certainly feel relieved after the 33-year-old had two full-fledged net sessions since India’s arrival at this port city. Jadhav has batted without any apparent discomfort during the sessions, which was a fair enough indication that he is nearing full fitness. He has also started bowling in the nets, something he was not doing during the IPL due to his dodgy hamstring. While it is still not clear whether Jadhav will be considered for the opening game against South Africa on Wednesday, his fitness has been a cause of concern since he is expected to play an important role for India during the next six and half weeks. He had hurt his left shoulder during the last IPL round robin league game for Chennai Super Kings against Kings XI Punjab. On the other hand, even before Indias first game in the World Cup, the Indian team management had a scare when skipper Virat Kohli injured his thumb during a training session at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton on Saturday.
But it has been learnt that there is nothing to worry and that the captain will be ready for action against South Africa come Wednesday. Kohli was seen walking off the ground with his right thumb dipped in ice. Before that, Team India physio Patrick Farhart attended him and assessed the situation. While it is unclear if Kohli hurt his thumb while batting or fielding, Farhart took all the necessary precautions as the run-machine looked in discomfort. The Indians still have two more days before they play the Proteas and the team management is confident that Kohli will be fit in time for the toss on Wednesday.The Men in Blue, tipped as one of the favourites to win the World Cup, did not have an ideal preparation for the showpiece event as they were thrashed by New Zealand in the first warm-up game. (Agencies)
