Sreesanth to miss second test

India’s pace bowler Sreesanth has been ruled out of the second Test against West Indies with a sore heel.

The 23 year-old pulled up after failing to dismiss Corey Collymore in the tense last over at Antigua, and needs three to five days of rest before he can reach full fitness. He was also absent from the first two ODIs between the teams, although team physio John Gloster said they were not connected: “This one came on during the last match, so it’s a little bit unfortunate for him. But we are pretty confident the injection he took this morning will get on top of the injury, and we will see how he goes over the next three to five days.”

Gloster was also positive about the fitness of the rest of the team, saying: “Apart from him, at this stage everybody else is pretty fit. I think we are pretty fortunate to have got this far with just a little niggle.”

The likely replacement is Irfan Pathan, although Harbhajan Singh may take Sreesanth’s place if the pitch looks like a good one for the spinners. After their left-field selections last time, India may consider bringing both back, either in place of a batsman, most likely Mohammad Kaif or VVS Laxman, or VRV Singh.