Board of injuries

When Indias one-day cricketers went into the match against England at Chester-le-Street on Saturday,it was without seven members of the team that won the World Cup just months ago. Injuries had consistently whittled away at Indias strength,starting from the first day of the first Test,when the teams most threatening bowler,Zaheer Khan,pulled a hamstring. Meanwhile,Virender Sehwag hadnt fully recovered from a shoulder injury; Gautam Gambhir,who missed the second Test after hurting his elbow,is missing the one-day series after picking up a concussion on the final day of the final Test. To top things off going into the series,Sachin Tendulkars toe sent him home early.

Matters got even worse: Rohit Sharmas first ball in the Saturday game was a short one from Stuart Broad that broke his right index finger. It seems,whatever the real bench strength of the Indian cricketing system,the actual number of touring reserves seems set in stone. So,although Ravindra Jadeja has been named to replace Gambhir although Jadeja is an all-rounder,not an opener he couldnt turn up in time for the second one-dayer,because he didnt have a UK visa.

The BCCI is the richest cricket body in the world. Yet,in some ways,it seems unable to accept that fact. Its amateurishness is being shown up rather shockingly on this particular tour. Why is it impossible to take 30 probables along with you on a long tour,which this one is? Why expect domestic cricketers called in to replace legends to acclimatise instantly? Why not,at the very least,ensure your probables always have valid visas for the major Test-playing nations,as Mahendra Singh Dhoni has advised? The cricket board may not be responsible for the injuries. But it is responsible for the teams susceptibility to them.