MULTAN, March 25: India's preparations for the first Test against Pakistan were thrown into disarray on Thursday following uncertainty over the fitness of captain Saurav Ganguly.
The tourists flew into Multan for Sunday's first Test without Ganguly, who was forced to stay in Lahore to undergo scans on his injured back. Ganguly hurt his lower back when he dived to stop a drive from his Pakistani counterpart Inzamamul Haq during Wednesday's fifth and final one-dayer in Lahore.
The scans could not be carried out on Thursday because Ganguly "was sent to a wrong doctor in Lahore," a team source said. Ganguly and team physiotherapist Andrew Leipus, who fixed an appointment with a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)-nominated doctor for Thursday morning, found out he was the wrong man to treat the injury.
"The whole day was wasted trying to locate the right man who was a specialist in back injuries," the source said. "One was eventually found late in the evening. Saurav and Andrew will see him and both will join the team on Friday."
India won Wednesday's one-day decider by 40 runs to take the series 3-2, their first limited-overs series win in Pakistan after five failed attempts between 1978 to 1989.
Ganguly will have just two days to recover if he is to play in the first Test. The remaining Tests will be played in Lahore from April 5-9 and Rawalpindi from April 13-17. The Indians, meanwhile, were reinforced by seasoned bowlers Anil Kumble and Ajit Agarkar and opening batsman Akash Chopra for the Test series. -AFP
