<p>In a massive blow to Sri Lanka, pace spearhead Nuwan Pradeep was today ruled out of the ongoing Test series against India due to a hamstring injury, leaving the hosts with just one medium pacer in the second match.<br /></p>.<p>Pradeep, who had taken six wickets in the opening Test, had bowled only four balls with the second new ball yesterday and did not take field today.<br /><br />The fresh injury blow to the hosts means that they have services of just one medium pacer, Dimuth Karunaratne, in the ongoing second Test.<br /><br />"Nuwan Pradeep's out for one or two months," Karunaratne said at the press-conference after second day's play.<br /><br />"I started my career as a bowler, not as a batsman, so I can bowl. The thing is there are a lot of bowlers who can bowl faster than 130-135," he said.<br /><br />"We played only with one pace option, so when they asked me if we need to bowl a few overs with the new ball, I said I could. That's why I bowled a few overs with Chaminda Vaas to see how it goes."<br /><br />Pradeep could bowl only 17 overs on the opening day. He had left the field complaining of a hamstring niggle.<br /><br />Sri Lanka is already going through a tough phase due to injuries to their key players. All-rounder Asela Gunaratne was ruled out of the three-match series after he broke his thumb in the Galle Test.<br /><br />Skipper Dinesh Chandimal also missed the opening Test due to pneumonia and returned for the second Test only after getting a special exemption from the ICC to use his inhaler.<br /><br />India had defeated Sri Lanka by 304 runs in the first Test.</p>
<p>In a massive blow to Sri Lanka, pace spearhead Nuwan Pradeep was today ruled out of the ongoing Test series against India due to a hamstring injury, leaving the hosts with just one medium pacer in the second match.<br /></p>.<p>Pradeep, who had taken six wickets in the opening Test, had bowled only four balls with the second new ball yesterday and did not take field today.<br /><br />The fresh injury blow to the hosts means that they have services of just one medium pacer, Dimuth Karunaratne, in the ongoing second Test.<br /><br />"Nuwan Pradeep's out for one or two months," Karunaratne said at the press-conference after second day's play.<br /><br />"I started my career as a bowler, not as a batsman, so I can bowl. The thing is there are a lot of bowlers who can bowl faster than 130-135," he said.<br /><br />"We played only with one pace option, so when they asked me if we need to bowl a few overs with the new ball, I said I could. That's why I bowled a few overs with Chaminda Vaas to see how it goes."<br /><br />Pradeep could bowl only 17 overs on the opening day. He had left the field complaining of a hamstring niggle.<br /><br />Sri Lanka is already going through a tough phase due to injuries to their key players. All-rounder Asela Gunaratne was ruled out of the three-match series after he broke his thumb in the Galle Test.<br /><br />Skipper Dinesh Chandimal also missed the opening Test due to pneumonia and returned for the second Test only after getting a special exemption from the ICC to use his inhaler.<br /><br />India had defeated Sri Lanka by 304 runs in the first Test.</p>