Balaji to replace injured Munaf for Lanka series

Lakshmipathy Balaji has earned a national call after nearly three years and will replace injured fast bowler Munaf Patel for the rest of India's One-day cricket series in Sri Lanka.

Published on: Feb 2, 2009, 15:30:28 IST

IANS | By HT Correspondent, New Delhi

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Lakshmipathy Balaji has earned a national call after nearly three years and will replace injured fast bowler Munaf Patel for the rest of India's One-day cricket series in Sri Lanka.

Munaf injured his groin during a warm-up game and bowled just five overs in the first ODI and was subsequently left out of the second match in Colombo paving the way for the 27-year-old Balaji to make a comeback in international cricket. Munaf, who has a history of injuries, will undergo a rehabilitation process and would need more than a week to get fit.

Balaji last played an ODI in Sri Lanka in August 2005 before a back surgery forced him out of the game. He will fly to Colombo on Monday night.

Last year he made a comeback with a remodelled action in the Indian Premier League (IPL) with runners-up Chennai Super Kings and picked up 11 wickets from nine games including a hat-trick.

Balaji also played a crucial role to take Tamil Nadu to the semi-finals of the Ranji Trophy this season, taking 36 wickets from seven games at an average of 17.5.

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