da bet7： VVS Laxman who guided India for their first victory of the Coca-ColaCup against Sri Lanka and opening bowler Zaheer Khan are to stay backfor the remainder of the tri-series despite their injuries
Rex Clementine29-Jul-2001VVS Laxman who guided India for their first victory of the Coca-ColaCup against Sri Lanka and opening bowler Zaheer Khan are to stay backfor the remainder of the tri-series despite their injuries.Laxman was to go back home to attend to his knee surgery before Indiagame against Sri Lanka on Saturday, but he stayed back because of thesuspension of skipper Saurav Ganguly who was suspended for that match.But after the batsman guided India to victory through an unbeaten 87which not only won him the man of the match award but also keptIndia’s chances alive in the competition, the team management haddecided to play him in the remaining matches. Laxman played Saturday’sgame with a bandage, fielded throughout during the Sri Lankan inningsand was in the middle from the third ball of the Indian innings.However the batsman will definitely miss the Test series against SriLanka as his surgery will take four weeks to heal.Meanwhile, Zaheer Khan who is suffering from a stress fracture on theright shin, is expected to fly to Chennai for a bone scan after theOne Day Series and his availability for the Test matches will bedecided on the results of the report.The other left arm paceman Asish Nehra who is suffering from a groininjury is also set to miss the Test series.The Indian selectors will pick the squad for the Test series in Mumbaion Thursday.