Injury fright for Ishant Sharma in Dominica

India's pace lead Ishant Sharma experience a freak injury during a practice session ahead of the third Test. However, the team association said it was not serious and the speedster would be part of the side for the third and final Test against the West Indies, starting here Wednesday. Ishant upset himself during a football match which Team India played at Windsor Park Monday evening.

The visitors who refrain from bowling, bat and fielding session came over to the venue of the third and final Test rather late and restricted themselves to a session of fun football between themselves. However, it stunned everyone when Praveen Kumar jumps in the air and by chance head-butted the left cheekbone of Ishant. The crash was so hard that Ishant lay flat on his back for a good two notes, causing a panic in the Indian ranks.

The physic and masseur of the team quick from the bandage room and lifted Ishant, escorting him out of the ground. Ishant seem to have a deep blood clot on his left cheekbone, probably a little cut as well, but team basis later allay the fears that the injury might cost him the final Test.It's a small bruise, a small cut under his eye. But I have been told it's not grave, Rahul Dravid was to say later on. Ishant has so far selected up 16 wickets from the series, counting a 10-wicket haul in the Barbados Test, with an average of 13.62.

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Preview: WI vs India, 3rd Test

Out of form young batsmen seem to be India's only anxiety as they aim to sign off their Caribbean sojourn on a high. The top Test side in the world would try to clinch the third and final Test against the West Indies, preliminary in Dominica Wednesday. The Indians, most significant the three-match series 1-0, may have to make some alter to their bat line-up on a Windsor Park track which is predictable to offer pace and rebound.

Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has make sure a continuance of his winning record in a Test series but he would have to take a call if Murali Vijay and Virat Kohli are to get yet another chance after their catastrophic outings so far in the Caribbean. The two already have the writing on the wall as they haven't been picked for the series against England, starting in mid-July.

While Vijay has hurt his place with an aggregate of 22 runs (5.50 avg) from the four innings of two matches, Kohli has done no better than 46 runs (11.50) and is only now realizing the vast chasm between a unfinished over's and a longer format game. Vijay's vengeance has been Ravi Rampaul who has got him in all the four innings while Kohli has found Fidel Edwards too hot to handle, having been dismiss by the Barbadian in three of the four innings he has batted.

India needs their substitute as the West Indies' new ball bowlers have had the complete measure of these two young batsmen. Thus Parthiv Patel and Subramaniam Badrinath can fancy their chances in the final Test if Dhoni prefers to reshuffle his cards. Both Patel and Badrinath have had little batting since the one-day series ended, more so with the Chennai batsman who wasn't selected for the last ODI in Jamaica and has been out of act for three weeks.

Fascinatingly, the choice is not as straightforward as it seems. Badrinath played two Tests against South Africa at home 16 months ago and aggregated a meagre 63 runs (21.00 avg), having been claimed by speedster Dale Steyn in two of his three innings. Patel has played just 20 Tests since first rotating out for India against England at Trent Bridge nine seasons ago. He last played a Test against Sri Lanka three years ago.

His career statistics of 683 runs (29.70) aren't too pretty either. But such has been the breakdown of Vijay and Kohli that Dhoni would be tempted to replace them, more so since the pitch for the final Test could again have his batsmen's trial by fire. If Dhoni persists with Vijay and Kohli, with the realization that they are better bets for future than either Patel or Badrinath, he would have no such hesitation in replacing Abhimanyu Mithun with Munaf Patel who himself hasn't played a Test for over two years, despite his limited overs heroics this year.

West Indies, if anything, are in a better batting mess than India. While India has twisted to knowledgeable Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman to bail them out in the two Tests, West Indies haven't had such fortune with Ramnaresh Sarwan who has been left out in favor of Kieron Powell.

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