Harbhajan may undergo operation in US

Offspinner Harbhajan Singh is likely to undergo an operation on his right index finger at the hospital in Baltimore in the United States where batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar underwent successful finger surgery in April.

Singh, who sustained the finger injury during India's tour of New Zealand earlier this year, underwent an MRI scan at the Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai this afternoon.

Speaking to the Press Trust of India later, the Board of Control for Cricket in India's sports medicine expert Anant Joshi said, "Harbhajan underwent an MRI scan and X-ray on his finger after specialist Dr Sudhir Warrior, who also treated Sachin's finger before he decided to go in for an operation in the US, advised him to do so.

"However, it will take at least a couple of days for us [the two doctors and Harbhajan] to come to a final decision as I am going to Japan tonight, but I will keep in touch with both Harbhajan and Dr Warrior about the developments.

"If his finger needs to be operated upon, then the first choice would be to send him to the US as the doctors there have done a very good job on Sachin's finger recently," Dr Joshi said.

Singh, who played the World Cup with the injury, lost a lucrative contract with English county side Lancashire after failing to recover in time.

The offie had also sought medical opinion in South Africa, where doctors said an operation was not needed and had advised him to rest his finger.