Sachin Tendulkar has been ruled out of the second Test against South Africa after aggravating a groin injury. As I said earlier, he should have been rested for this series in the first place. I mean, how hard could it have been for the selectors to pull up Sachin and say - "Sachin, you have been terrific all through this tour of Australia, and as a reward, you get a paid time off until after the series against South Africa. No, don't worry about the team, we are going to pull in Yuvraj to replace you and he along with his teammates should be able to cover for you. And, if they cannot, well, someone will get fired! So, now go on, relax, recuperate and enjoy your time off.". I hope it is not a serious issue and that they would give him an extended break and keep him out of the third Test as well.
In a surprising move, the selectors have announced Mohammad Kaif to replace Sachin. He probably deserves his place based on his performances in domestic cricket, but again, why wasn't Karthik considered? As I said before the start of this series, he deserves another chance. Plus, picking him opens the possibility of resting Dhoni, who is possibly the most overworked player in the team. Anyway, it doesn't matter much as realistically, Sachin's replacement is not going to make it to the playing XI.
It is now almost certain that Yuvraj would get to play; But, considering how the bowlers struggled in Chennai and that we are not going to see bowler friendly pitches, it is not a bad idea to pick a fifth bowler instead. Piyush Chawla or Irfan Pathan could be picked up, although Irfan might get in anyway to replace the off-color RP Singh.
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