Ashwin’s painful finger has Jayant on stand-by

September is an unusual time to play cricket in Kolkata. The monsoon is only just winding down and grand Puja festivities are around the corner. Eden Gardens has never hosted a Test in this month. Add the freshly relaid square and the overcast, muggy weather to the mix and there is an uncertainty about what to expect from the conditions.

There is less doubt about India’s combination for the second Test against New Zealand, but they have added offspinner Jayant Yadav to the squad just in case.

Jayant’s inclusion as a replacement for the ill Ishant Sharma might seem odd, but it makes sense given the occasional discomfort R Ashwin bowled with in the first Test in Kanpur. Ashwin said he had gone into the match without having bowled a lot in the previous 25 days because of a corn, a painful area of thickened skin, on the middle finger of his bowling hand.

“This game especially, I have a corn on my finger and I haven’t bowled a lot in the last 25 days,” Ashwin had said after the third day in Kanpur. “I’m not very happy with the way it has come out so far. I just hope that I can do better in the series.”

Jayant is likely to be on stand-by if the corn proves too painful for Ashwin to play in Kolkata, but India’s coach Anil Kumble said all 15 players were available for selection. Even if Jayant doesn’t play, bowling alongside Test spinners to Test batsmen in the nets is valuable experience. Ashwin did not bowl at practice two days before the Test, but that is no indication of his fitness because others had also opted out of the optional training session.

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