<p>Even as Ajinkya Rahane and Manish Pandey hit the ‘nets’ on a sultry Monday afternoon at the Cricket Club of India facilities here, there was some good news for Yuvraj Singh fans.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The Punjab batsman had undergone an MRI scan for a twisted left ankle on Monday upon his arrival from Chandigarh and the results have confirmed that there is no fracture or ligament tear. India, however, will wait for a final word on whether the southpaw will be available for Thursday’s World T20 semifinal against West Indies.<br /><br />Team physio Patrick Farhart took the report for interpretation to the doctor and it’s learnt that India will wait until their practice session on Wednesday afternoon before they take a final call on Yuvraj’s availability.<br /><br />Yuvraj’s cover Pandey and Rahane arrived at the CCI along with Sanjay Bangar, the assistant coach (batting), and Raghavendra, the throwdown specialist, and had a long batting stint against the pair besides facing half a dozen net bowlers provided by the Mumbai Cricket Association.<br /><br />If Yuvraj is rendered unavailable for the match, Pandey and Rahane will be in contention to take his spot in the playing 11. It will be a tough call to make as MS Dhoni doesn’t trust Rahane’s abilities at number four while he can’t shake up the top-order in a crucial tie. While Pandey has a century to his credit in the last ODI he played for India, preferring him ahead of Rahane may raise a stink in some circles.<br /><br />Fletcher replaced<br />Meanwhile, the technical committee of the event has approved Lendl Simmons as a replacement for injured opener Andre Fletcher.<br /><br />Fletcher pulled a right hamstring during the match against Afghanistan in Nagpur on Sunday and has been ruled out of further participation in the tournament.<br /></p>
<p>Even as Ajinkya Rahane and Manish Pandey hit the ‘nets’ on a sultry Monday afternoon at the Cricket Club of India facilities here, there was some good news for Yuvraj Singh fans.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The Punjab batsman had undergone an MRI scan for a twisted left ankle on Monday upon his arrival from Chandigarh and the results have confirmed that there is no fracture or ligament tear. India, however, will wait for a final word on whether the southpaw will be available for Thursday’s World T20 semifinal against West Indies.<br /><br />Team physio Patrick Farhart took the report for interpretation to the doctor and it’s learnt that India will wait until their practice session on Wednesday afternoon before they take a final call on Yuvraj’s availability.<br /><br />Yuvraj’s cover Pandey and Rahane arrived at the CCI along with Sanjay Bangar, the assistant coach (batting), and Raghavendra, the throwdown specialist, and had a long batting stint against the pair besides facing half a dozen net bowlers provided by the Mumbai Cricket Association.<br /><br />If Yuvraj is rendered unavailable for the match, Pandey and Rahane will be in contention to take his spot in the playing 11. It will be a tough call to make as MS Dhoni doesn’t trust Rahane’s abilities at number four while he can’t shake up the top-order in a crucial tie. While Pandey has a century to his credit in the last ODI he played for India, preferring him ahead of Rahane may raise a stink in some circles.<br /><br />Fletcher replaced<br />Meanwhile, the technical committee of the event has approved Lendl Simmons as a replacement for injured opener Andre Fletcher.<br /><br />Fletcher pulled a right hamstring during the match against Afghanistan in Nagpur on Sunday and has been ruled out of further participation in the tournament.<br /></p>
