More than this, the team is already suffering from multiple injuries and the absence of top performers. The situation is now looking even worse than was predicted at such an early stage. Next in line, a Test against England that starts Friday in Visakhapatnam, will miss several pivotal players, such as Kohli, the talented opener Rahul KL, Jadeja, and Shami. The crisis may continue through the rest of the three other tests, perhaps with two exceptions. Already one down in the five-test series, Rohit Sharma’s combination with Rahul Dravid may have to face the Ben Stokes-led England four-man team minus some of their regular players.
Live Cricket Score is aware that Jadeja’s hamstring injury may need more time to heal than what was estimated—typically, a hamstring problem demands between four and eight weeks of recovery time—and he could be out for a few months. Indeed, insiders say it would be remarkable if he played the fourth Test in Ranchi from February 23 to 27; hence, he was almost sure not to play the third Test in his hometown, Rajkot. In the above-mentioned BCCI media release, only the second test is briefed on his absence.
The case with Shami could be better. According to Live Cricket Score, reported several times, the pacer is struggling with an ankle problem inherent to landing. At the time, he is in London, and as no information about the surgery has been provided yet, it should be assumed that Cunningham was given treatment for his ankle with injections. It is almost a hundred percent certain that he will not be available for any of the forthcoming matches in the five-test series. He is still at the level at which he will play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) set between March and May.
