By IANS,
Mumbai : India’s batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar and pace spearhead Zaheer Khan have been ruled out of the forthcoming tri-series in Bangladesh next month due to injuries.
The national selectors meet here Friday to pick up the team for the Bangladesh tri-series (June 8-14) and also for the Asia Cup in Pakistan from June 24-July 6.
Tendulkar, who is yet to fully recover from a groin injury that kept him away from seven Indian Premier League (IPL) matches, will also miss the subsequent Asia Cup besides the Bangladesh tri-series also involving Pakistan.
“Tendulkar is not available for the tri-series as well as the Asia Cup on the advice of Mumbai Indians’ physiotherapist Nitin Patel. He has not recovered sufficiently from the groin injury,” Niranjan Shah, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary, told reporters here Thursday.
Zaheer, however, will miss only the tri-series in Bangaldesh to recover for the Asia Cup and the subsequent Test series in Sri Lanka.
The left-arm seamer has been suffering from an ankle injury that forced him to return home from Australia after the first Test last season. He was also not available for the home series against Pakistan and South Africa in the winter.
Zaheer, however, was back in action in the Indian Premier League (IPL), playing for the Bangalore Royal Challengers. He ran in vigorously to generate good pace. He claimed 13 wickets in 11 matches before pulling out of the last three games, against Chennai Super Kings, Deccan Chargers and Mumbai Indians.
But he apparently feels he is not yet ready to return to international cricket and wants to rest his sore ankle so that he can be fully fit for the Asia Cup in Pakistan from June 24 and then the long tour of Sri Lanka.
The BCCI has also asked the physiotherapists of all the eight IPL teams to submit their fitness reports, based on which the teams will be selected.
“We have asked all the physios of all the eight IPL franchises to submit their reports on the Indian players . Then only we will take a decision on the teams for the both the series,” Shah said.
He also denied reports that the Dilip Vengsarkar-headed selection committee has been instructed pick a young team for the series in Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Shah said the BCCI will also finalise its physiotherapist Friday during the selection committee meeting, but said they would not appoint a permanent physio immediately.
“We want to assess the new candidate before giving him a long-term contract,” Shah said.
The national team has been without a permanent physio since John Gloster resigned after the Australia series in March this year.