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Following the England ODIs, Ishant Sharma has once again felt discomfort in his ankle © BCCI
India fast bowler Ishant Sharma is set to fly to Melbourne to consult with a specialist as a "precautionary measure", after experiencing pain in his left ankle, on which he had surgery in early 2012.
Ishant had sustained a ligament injury to his left ankle during India's tour to England in August 2011, but put off surgery for several months. He underwent the required operation last March, after returning from the tour of Australia. Subsequently he was out of competitive cricket till August, when he was picked for the home Test series against New Zealand, but did not make the playing XI. He was finally back in action for India in the Tests against England in December, and played the limited-overs series that followed too, against Pakistan and then England. Following the England ODIs, Ishant once again felt discomfort in his ankle.
If Ishant is to suffer further problems with his ankle, it will be a big blow for India with the Test series against Australia set to begin in two weeks' time. Zaheer Khan, their most experienced seamer, was dropped on form for the final Test against England and, more recently, missed the final few matches of the Ranji Trophy with a calf strain and is yet to begin bowling again. Their other preferred quick option of late, Umesh Yadav, played only the first Test of the England series before falling away with a serious back injury.
Another of India's injured quicks, Varun Aaron, will travel to London to get advice on his troublesome back. "I will be going there next week, where I will be meeting a couple of doctors and seek their advice. They will review the state of fitness of my back and based on that I will take a call on when I should begin bowling," Aaron told theIndian Express. "I have been bowling on and off but haven't bowled flat out. After this consultation I will get a clear picture of my body."
Aaron, who last played for India in late 2011, is recovering from a stress fracture of the back. After recuperating for a few months, he had returned to competitive cricket during the 2012 IPL, where he played eight games for his franchise, Delhi Daredevils. However, he then suffered a recurrence of the injury. He has a history of back trouble, having suffered two stress fractures soon after he made his Ranji Trophy debut for Jharkhand in the 2008-09 season.