India's regular cricket captain Sourav Ganguly, recuperating from a lower back injury, on Monday had an hour long session at the gymnasium of the Cricket Association of Bengal as his condition continued to improve.
Ganguly, who has expressed his intention to return to Pakistan on Wednesday, stayed for about two and half hours at the Pankaj Gupta Indoor gymnasium at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
He seemed in high spirits and chatted with fellow local players and also watched part of the opening day's play of the second Test between India and Pakistan in Lahore on television at the gymnasium.
Sources said Ganguly was 'happy' with the way he went through a detailed drill at the gymnasium. "He seemed almost fully fit and underwent the entire regime at the gym, and also had no problem in bending."
Ganguly, who also did some jogging and swimming during the day, however, refused to speak to the media waiting for hours at the gates of the gymnasium.
The cricketer injured his back while fielding during the fifth and final one-day international in Lahore on March 24 and was ruled out of the first two Tests. He returned home last week to consult orthopedic specialist Dr Kalyan Mukherjee, who has been treating him since his early cricketing days.
Mukherjee has diagnosed Ganguly's injury as mild disc and ligament problem, and said that 90-95 per cent of the problem would be taken care of by Wednesday and he would leave the rest to Team India physio Andrew Leipus.
The chances of Ganguly's playing the third and final Test against Pakistan at Rawalpindi has brightened after medical reports confirmed that his injury was 'not serious'.
Meanwhile, Mukherjee, who examined Ganguly this evening, said that the cricketer was "on the verge of full fitnes".
The doctor said that Ganguly told him that the pain had subsided and he had no problem during his workout at the gym.
He would examine Ganguly again tomorrow and issue him a fitness certificate if everything was okay.
