The Hindu : Nehra, Ratra to appear for check-up

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jun 04, 2002

Sport

Sport - Cricket

Nehra, Ratra to appear for check-up

MUMBAI JUNE 3. Left arm seamer Ashish Nehra and wicketkeeper Ajay Ratra are likely to appear for a check-up before Dr. Anant Joshi, the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) medical advisor and a sports medicine expert before June 8 when the national selectors meet here to pick a 15-member Indian team for the first part of the near three-month tour of England involving the three nation NatWest Series (June 27-July 13).

The Indians depart for London on June 18, eleven days before their back to back NatWest series matches against England on June 29 at Lord's and Sri Lanka on June 30 at `The Oval'.

Nehra has been recognised by coach John Wright as a seamer possessing skills to bowl `genuine wicket taking deliveries'. He was overall impressive, especially in the manner he bowled to Brian Lara and the other specialist West Indies batsmen. He and Anil Kumble were cleared for the Caribbean tour after they passed fitness tests conducted by physiotherapist Andrew Leipus in Bangalore.

Nehra had forced his way into the team after successful spells in the inter-zonal Duleep Trophy.

Haryana's Ajay Ratra has proved he is a quality wicketkeeper and also that he is not a `rabbit with the bat'. He was retained for the one-day series in West Indies, but it was Rahul Dravid who donned the big gloves in the three matches in Barbados and Trinidad.

Sources did not reveal the particulars of the physical related problems, apparently not worrisome, to Nehra and Ratra.

The Delhi left bowler took two wickets in the tour-ending match at Port-of- Spain on Sunday. Indications are that the team's physio Andrew Leipus has asked the BCCI to have Nehra and Ratra seen by the BCCI's medical advisor.

The team will return home on Tuesday night.

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