Colombo, July 26: India’s hopes of drawing level in the Test series against Sri Lanka were dealt a serious blow with Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh being ruled out of the second Test in Colombo. Gambhir was racing against time to recover from a troublesome knee, and the team management decided to leave him out after a final assessment on Monday morning. Yuvraj, who struck an attacking fifty in the first innings of the first Test was down with fever, leaving India without the services of their two first-choice left-hand batsmen.
The team think-tank is yet to name their replacements though Murali Vijay and Suresh Raina are likely to take their places in the side.
India are already fielding a depleted side for the series, with fast bowlers Zaheer Khan and Sreesanth missing out due to injuries. Offspinner Harbhajan Singh was down with flu in the lead-up to the first Test and struggled for fitness through the course of the match.
–Agencies–