'Ankle is fine, Ishant has no fitness issues'

Ishant Sharma walking off the field on the first day has caused some concern. The paceman, who broke down in England with an ankle injury, was due for surgery on his return home but told HT he was postponing it until after the Oz tour.

Ishant Sharma walking off the field on the first day has caused some concern. The paceman, who broke down in England with an ankle injury, was due for surgery on his return home but told HT he was postponing it until after the Oz tour. He later consulted Dr Jatin Chaudhary, the alternative medicine expert who treated Yuvraj Singh and Sania Mirza. He advised Ishant that surgery would not be required. "He had an excess growth of 3 mm on his ankle which we had dissolved to 1 mm. He was alright and fit to bowl," Chaudhary told HT.

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His coach Shravan Kumar said: "Before leaving, he appeared fit. He bowled at my nets for about one to one-and-half hours on Sunday."