Champions Trophy 2009: Yuvraj out of Champions Trophy
India’s chances to win Champions Trophy faced a big blow as the middle-order batsman Yuvraj Singh, who injured the little finger of his right hand on Wednesday, has been ruled out of the tournament and will return home.
Virat Kohli has been called up to replace the stylish left-hander, who is expected to stay out of the game for another six weeks.
Yuvraj Singh was acrobatically diving and sliding to catch and intercept throws hurled by his coach Gary Kirsten when one such effort seemed to have twisted his right finger.
He immediately left the field and was examined at great length by team’s physio Nitin Patel. He first received a bandage, then a few query on the details of his injury by his worried team-mates and a glass full of chilled water to keep dipping in his finger.
India were plagued with injuries going into the tournament. Virender Sehwag did not travel to South Africa due to a shoulder injury, while Gautam Gambhir, who did not feature in the team’s only practice match against New Zealand, is nursing a groin strain.
India’s tournament opener is against Pakistan on Saturday after which they will take on Australia and West Indies next week.