Ishant has ankle checked; team management says he's fine

Amid growing concern over his fitness, India pacer Ishant Sharma is learnt to have got his troublesome ankle checked by a doctor in Canberra on Friday.

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The Indian camp, though, maintained that there is nothing serious with the pacer, who walked off the field after bowling just 5.3 overs on the opening day of the first practice match against CA Chairman's XI on Thursday, in the run-up to the first Test on December 26.

"There is no worry on him. He had some discomfort while bowling and he has seen a doctor. Hopefully, he should be fit before the first Test," said batsman Rohit Sharma, who scored 56 in the drawn match at the Manuka Oval on Friday.

Pace spearhead Zaheer Khan and the team management had on Thursday sought to underplay the situation by stating that Ishant couldn't complete his sixth over as he had to remove some strapping from his ankle that had loosened and made him uncomfortable.

"He was to bowl only six overs anyway," was what Zaheer had said.

The possibility of Ishant featuring in the next warm-up match, starting Monday, is bleak and the team management is now hoping that he recovers completely before the Melbourne Test.

The spate of injuries has once again raised its ugly head before an important series.

During the team's disastrous tour of England earlier this year when they failed to win a single match, India lost a lot of important players to injuries.

Praveen Kumar and Varun Aaron are already on the injured list and everyone is hoping Ishant, and, for that matter, Zaheer, don't join them.

If all is not well with Sharma, it must boost the spirit of the beleaguered Australians whose skills against the swinging deliveries are under a severe attack.

Coach Micky Arthur has even organised a batting camp for his out-of-sorts batsmen. Sharma, if he gets his rhythm going, makes the ball gain height and seam awkwardly.

He has accounted for Australia's most experienced batsman Ricky Ponting on no less than six occasions.

The 23-year-old Sharma, who has taken 128 wickets from 41 Tests, injured his left ankle during the third Test against England at Edgbaston.