Pakistan vice-captain Younis Khan is set to miss the second one-day international against India in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday following a fever.
"Younis is a lot better, but he's not match fit. So it's unlikely that he'll be able to play," Saleem Altaf, manager of the Pakistan team, said on Monday.
The 27-year-old scored 508 runs in the drawn three-Test series, including a career-best 267. He also sat out Pakistan's 87-run loss in the first match of the six-game series in Cochin.
Younis, though, was more upbeat than Altaf. "We'll take a decision later this evening or tomorrow morning," he said. "I was at the nets today, sweated it out and I'm eager to play."
The intense heat and humidity are proving to be the biggest factor in the one-day series. April is not the best time to play cricket in India.
"It's all a question of how you recover from games and how you manage your time on and off the field," India vice-captain Rahul Dravid told reporters after a team practice session.
"You have to leave enough in the tank to play the next game."
India opener Virender Sehwag, who scored 108 in Cochin, did not practice on Monday and Dravid, who also scored a century, did not field in the first game.
Dravid said the toss would again be significant. "It's not rocket science that you should bat first in such conditions, keep the other team on the field for 50 overs and then ask them to chase a big total after they're already tired."
India are expected to pick an unchanged side.
© 2024 Rediff.com -