India batsman Sachin Tendulkar is doubtful for the final Test against Pakistan starting on Saturday due to a knee injury. "Sachin, while fielding in the Kolkata test, aggravated a knee problem from the ODI series," India captain Anil Kumble told a news conference on Friday.
Kumble said Tendulkar sought a specialist's opinion as soon as he arrived in Bangalore and had been given an injection. "His condition continues to improve, however, should he have failed to have recover completely in the morning (of the match) we feel it wise to call for a back-up."
Left-handed opener Gautam Gambhir is standing by to replace him. The hosts, 1-0 up in the three-match series after winning the opening game by six wickets in New Delhi, also have fitness concern over wicketkeeper Mahendra Dhoni who has an ankle injury.
Dhoni suffered the injury during the preceding one-day series which the hosts won 3-2, but played both the first two tests with his ankle strapped. "We were initially thinking of resting him for this game but due the new development about Sachin we are not sure about it," said Kumble, who will be leading the country for the first time in his home city of Bangalore.
Kumble said in the event of Dhoni sitting out, middle-order batsman Yuvraj Singh would play and makeshift opener Dinesh Karthik would keep wicket. India will also field a depleted pace attack after spearhead Zaheer Khan and Munaf Patel were ruled out with injuries on Wednesday.
Left-arm swing bowler Irfan Pathan was named in the squad along with the inexperienced Vikram Rajvir Singh and 19-year-old Ishant Sharma. Kumble expects Pakistan to come at them hard after their determined fightback to draw the second test in Kolkata.
Although regular skipper Shoaib Malik will miss the final Test due to an ankle injury, fast bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Sami have recovered fully from chest infections that hampered them during the second test. "We need to play hard as we are 1-0 down, though we saved the second Test," stand-in skipper Younis Khan told a news conference at which he quashed reports that he was unwilling to lead the side.
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