India won't be worried about injuries in England given their excellent bench strength, reckons Inzamam-ul-Haq

There has been no dearth of injuries or injury concerns to the Indian players in the UK. Shubman Gill and Washington Sundar, two key contributors in India's epic Gabba win, were earlier ruled out of the Test series against England. Fast bowler Avesh Khan had also got injured during the warm-up encounter against the County XI side. Additionally, Rishabh Pant had tested COVID positive while Ajinkya Rahane suffered a hamstring issue ahead of the practice game.

Virat Kohli also had a stiff back and was rested from the warm-up game, as a precautionary measure. Fortunately for India, Pant has joined the side after testing negative for COVID-19, but India are still sweating over the fitness of their Test vice-captain. These injuries forced the BCCI to name Prithvi Shaw and Suryakumar Yadav as replacements for the five-match Test series, and they are likely to leave for the UK soon. Former Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq has stated that the injuries to the Indian players in England won't be a matter of concern for the Virat Kohli-led side, as they have great bench strength. 

“Team India are facing some injury issues in England. Sundar and Gill are unfit. Virat Kohli has a stiff back but he is trying his best to be fit for the first Test. Ajinkya Rahane also has a hamstring issue. The good thing though is that India have excellent bench strength so they should not face that much difficulty even if some of their key players are injured,” said Inzamam, reported HT.

He further cited the example of Down Under and how India overcame all odds sans panicking much to win the four-match Test series 2-1.

“Suryakumar Yadav and Prithvi Shaw, who were doing well in Sri Lanka, will now fly to England. I don’t think Team India will be too worried over injuries. They faced a similar situation in Australia as well but they did not panic at all. The youngsters rose to the occasion and displayed great maturity as if they had been playing for many years. So, bench strength really matters a lot. They can pull you out of trouble and I give a lot of credit to Rahul Dravid for the same. In Sri Lanka as well, India won the ODIs and are 1-0 up in the T20Is as well.”

India's T20I series against Sri Lanka will finish on July 29. They will take on England in the Test series opener in Nottingham on August 4.