Its a great feeling to have conquered the Aussie Castles. Now its time to defend our Castles when the second best team (Arguably) tour our nation later this month. There is no doubt that with the current form, we could have given them a tough fight. But the Indian camp looks physically battered. We can’t blame the players or the Physio. The tour required that the players give their 100% and our players did give more than that actually.

I felt the tour was a bit too long. Even the youngsters in the team felt the heat though they played only in the Tri-Series. Let us check out the list of players having injuries.

Sachin Tendulkar (Tendonitits) : After his stunning show in the two Finals, no one can question him about his form. But he seems to be suffering from tendonitis in his right hip region. He has been adviced two weeks rest before he can get back to Cricket. With the kind of form he is in, the Team would surely want to Master Blaster to bolster the middle order against the South Africans.

Ishanth Sharma (Toe and Finger) : Ishanth Sharma has been a revelation during the tour Down-Under. He bowled with very good pace and had all the Aussie batsman hopping around. Ask Ricky Ponting about it. In due course he has hurt his great toe on his right leg and his finger on his right hand. The Physio has adviced him complete rest without any running or bowling for two to three weeks. He will also be a key-factor against the South Africans.

Harbhajan Singh (Left Hamstring) : Probably he didn’t deliver what was expected out of him. But none the less, he put in his heart and soul and also had to battle of the field. His case is of some concern as he might need a surgery to set it right. On this tour, he might be the man. He need two weeks rest.

Yuvraj Singh (Right Knee) : His form was a cause of concern all the way through the Australian tour. He never looked like the one who played such wonderful knocks in the T20 World Cup. He looked completely out of sorts even during the Tri-Series. His fielding looked rather mediocre because of his injured knee. He was restricted from moving side-ways as he used to do while fielding at point. Even his situation is critical as he might need a surgery. He has been advised two to three weeks of rest.

Let’s hope that all these players are fit in time. Else you might see another set of players sneaking in to prove their point. All the players have been referred to Melbourne-based surgeon David Young, who has also treated Muttiah Muralitharan.

The team for this tour is to be picked on 17th of March. Here is the schedule for the games :

1st Test – 26th march to 30th March – M.A.Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai.

2nd Test – 3rd April to 7th April – Sardar Patel Stadium, Motera, Ahmedabad.

3rd Test – 11th April to 15th April – Green Park, Kanpur.