Kartik fit and raring to go

By Vijay Lokapally

NEW DELHI, JULY 21. Laid low by back injury, Railways left-arm spinner Murali Kartik has recovered fully to be available for immediate selection.

Kartik, considered to be quite a crafty and attacking slow bowler, had last figured in the Ranji Trophy final against Baroda when he took the field despite the injury.

The National selectors had blooded him against the South Africans when they visited India in the 1999-2000 season. The Railways cricketer did well in the two Tests against the South Africans, bowling to the instructions of skipper Sachin Tendulkar, before he fell out of favour. His last Test appearance was against Zimbabwe in New Delhi when he was treated shabbily by Sourav Ganguly, the skipper who now wants to make amends.

The back pain may not have been crippling but it did threaten to ruin the 24-year-old's career since the injury affected the disc. ``I had a disc bulge. It's a common injury but it got aggravated due to the stressful nature of the game,'' said Kartik.

Speaking to The Hindu from Adelaide, Kartik said, ``I was asked to rest since that was considered the best medicine initially.'' The left-arm spinner was asked to follow certain yoga exercises with specific concentration on his back.

The Chennai-based Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram had taken the initiative to help Kartik in his difficult period with the guidance coming from Messrs D.V. Sridhar and Desikacharya. The yoga exercises had put Kartik on the road to recovery until the Board of Control for Cricket in India sponsored his visit to Australia for specialised treatment.

The CBCA had in the past successfully treated Sachin Tendulkar and Ajit Agarkar for back and shoulder-related injuries. A delighted Kartik said, ``I feel confident and energetic. The treatment has been quite effective.''

``I've been told to train specifically for my pelvic stability. I did speed work and weight training at the academy and bowled long spells. The ball was coming nicely out of my hand. I'm feeling very strong and by the grace of God have felt no pain at all. My running has been limited because the training has been more in the form of swimming and cycling,'' he said.

Kartik, who will return home this week, plans to play in the first division league in Chennai to get back his rhythm and prove his fitness to the National selectors. With Ganguly having shown interest in Kartik for the three-Test series against Sri Lanka, the Railways cricketer can look forward to a fruitful season ahead under the guidance of coach Vinod Sharma.

The presence of Delhi left-arm spinner Rahul Sanghvi adds to the competitive flavour in the bowling department. Incidentally, Sanghvi and Kartik have both played for Railways and are products of the NIS centre in Delhi.

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