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Kaif to stay as Ganguly's back-up

By Faisal Shariff
March 25, 2004 20:09 IST

India skipper Sourav Ganguly underwent medical tests at the Shaukat Khanam Cancer Hospital on Thursday to ascertain the extent of the injury he sustained while fielding in the fifth One-Day International against Pakistan at Lahore on Wednesday.

While the rest of the team left on Thursday afternoon for Multan, venue of the first Test beginning on Sunday, Ganguly stayed back along with team physiotherapist Andrew Leipus for the CT Scan results, India media manager Amrit Mathur informed.

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Ganguly's availability for the Multan match will depend on the results of the tests, Mathur added.

"Some more tests would be carried out this evening and only after going through the results we can know how serious his injury is," he said, adding "it is too early to say whether he would play the first Test or not".

Sources close to the India skipper said since Ganguly does not see himself recovering in time for the first Test, Mohammad Kaif has been asked to stay back.

Medium pacer Amit Bhandari and batsman Hemang Badani have returned home.

Ganguly fell on his back as he tried to stop a scorching off-drive by his counterpart Inzamam-ul Haq in the decisive day-night encounter on Wednesday and lay writhing in pain before being carried off on a stretcher.

After initial treatment by Leipus in the dressing room, he was up and in high spirits as India registered an emphatic 40-run victory for their first-ever One-Day International series triumph in Pakistan.

Faisal Shariff

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