threw up by the side of the pitch. Surgery on a troublesome ankle, and an indifferent tour of Australia followed, but having ceased to be an automatic pick, he performed creditably in Pakistan. His injury battles returned to haunt him when he pulled out midway through the 2005 Zimbabwe tour and he had a succession of operations on his ankle that slowed down his career. He hit the headlines with creditable showings in the IPL, particularly in the second season, and was recalled to the ODI squad for the tour of West Indies in June 2009.

Dileep Premachandran June 2009