India's Harbhajan and Yuvraj out of England Test series
- Published
Yuvraj (left) and Harbhajan were both injured in the heavy second Test defeat
India have suffered a blow ahead of the third Test against England with confirmation that Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh will miss the rest of the four-match series through injury.
Spinner Harbhajan has a stomach strain and batsman Yuvraj has a broken finger.
Both were sustained in the second Test at Trent Bridge, which England won with ease to take a 2-0 lead in the series.
Right-handed batsman Virat Kohli will replace Yuvraj, and left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha comes in for Harbhajan.
Harbhajan was largely ineffective at Nottingham in a match dominated by seamers and batsmen.
But it turned out the world's leading active Test wicket-taker, with 406 victims, was bowling through the pain of what has since been diagnosed as a grade one lower abdominal tear, which will prevent him playing for the next three weeks.
"While Yuvraj Singh's injury may take around four weeks to recover, Harbhajan Singh is likely to recover in three weeks' time," said the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Both players may miss some of
India are still hoping Zaheer Khan, who was able to run without apparent discomfort in training shortly after the end of the match in Nottingham, will be able to return from his hamstring injury to lead the attack again in the third Test at Edgbaston in Birmingham, which starts next Wednesday.
Opening batsman Virender Sehwag was finally due to arrive in England on Wednesday after shoulder surgery.
He is likely to be important for the tourists as they try to rescue a series in which they will lose their status as the world's top Test team, to England, should they lose by two clear matches.
Gautam Gambhir also missed the second Test at Trent Bridge because the elbow injury he suffered in the first Test at Lord's had failed to recover - India also hope the opener may be fit again soon.