Indian vice-captain Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar have been laid low by viral fever, compounding the misery of an already low-on-morale Indian team.
However, Harbhajan Singh and Ashish Nehra, who missed out on India's opening game against Pakistan also due to viral fever, have recovered completely to allay some of the tension of team physiotherapist Andrew Leipus.
Dravid and Tendulkar confined themselves to their hotel rooms even as the rest of the team took a break from practice and indulged in a stroll along the picturesque canals and shopping streets of a cosmopolitan yet compact Amsterdam.
Tendulkar, already suffering from a tennis elbow, could not have hoped for a worse outing in this European country.
He was even having difficulty in speaking because of the effect of the fever.
Leipus said he was busy giving Tendulkar treatment for his tennis elbow and hoped the great man would return to action once the Indians crossed over to England for the Natwest Challenge (Sep 1-5) and the ICC Champions Trophy (Sep 10-25).
Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar was also in the grip of viral fever.
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Australia, whose match against India on Monday was abandoned due to rain, were not complaining even though the conditions are not ideal for cricket.
"We knew what we are getting into so we are not worried," said media manager Jonathan Rose.
"The nets might not be perfect but if you look at it as a sports complex, it is outstanding."
He was referring to the Kampong club in Utrecht, which is indeed a remarkably compact sporting center. The cafeteria, which overlooks the facility, has a giant television screen where the Olympics action in Athens is being shown live.
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