London, July 22: India's pace spearhead Zaheer Khan is unlikely to bowl in England's first innings because of a hamstring strain he suffered in his right thigh on the first day of the first Test at Lord's here.
According to a mailed statement from Indian team's manager Anirudh Choudhary, “Zaheer Khan had strained his hamstring during the course of the first day's play. He is undergoing treatment which is being administered by the team physio. He may be unavailable to bowl in the first innings but is likely to be fit to bowl in the second innings.”
If the early assessment by the medical team, as claimed by the team management, is true then the issue is not as grave as it appeared yesterday afternoon when Zaheer left midway through his 14th over, clutching the back of his right thigh.
Still, India is missing Zaheer at a critical juncture, as his absence would definitely be a boon for England.
Yuvraj Singh came on as a substitute for Zaheer at the start of second day's play today. PTI
