England wait on Tremlett for second Test against India Friday, 29 July 2011 08:21 UK

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England and India face injury concerns

England paceman Chris Tremlett is a doubt for Friday's second Test with India after suffering with hamstring and back problems since the first Test.

"We expect him to be fit but obviously we'll see in the morning," said England captain Andrew Strauss on Thursday.
Steven Finn's late call-up to the squad has increased speculation that Tremlett will not be risked at Trent Bridge, but Tim Bresnan is the other seam option.
India seamer Zaheer Khan has been ruled out because of a hamstring injury.
The 32-year-old left-armer picked up the injury during the first Test at Lord's last week, pulling up during England's first innings and failing to bowl again in the match, and will be replaced by either Munaf Patel or Sreesanth at Trent Bridge.
Bresnan narrowly failed to make the XI at Lord's ahead of Stuart Broad, so may be next in line to replace Tremlett if England maintain consistency of selection.

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Strauss discusses Tremlett fitness battle

However, 22-year-old Finn's added pace and bounce - like Tremlett he is 6ft 7in and seven inches taller than Bresnan - could work in his favour if a change is required and the selectors want more of a like-for-like replacement.
Tremlett, who took four wickets in England's 196-run win over India in the first Test and took Test best figures of 6-48 against Sri Lanka earlier in the summer, appeared to be carrying a hamstring injury as he bowled during the tourists' second innings at Lord's.
He had already missed training on Wednesday with a tight hamstring and only trained briefly at Trent Bridge on Thursday.
But Strauss, speaking earlier in the day, added: "I think he's fine, obviously he's had a bit of a niggle with his hamstring.
"At the moment we expect him to be fit but obviously like all these things we'll see in the morning - we're confident he should be OK.
"You've always got to weigh these things in, it's a short turnaround between Test matches but we're not going to pick someone in the side unless we're sure he is 100% fit and able to get through the full five days."
While England wait on Tremlett, India will definitely be without Zaheer. The left-armer impressed initially at Lord's with an excellent new-ball spell which saw him dismiss both England openers, Strauss and Alastair Cook, before pulling up clutching his hamstring in his 14th over.

India captain Mahendra Dhoni said: "It's always good to have Zaheer in the side because he is our most experienced bowler, especially when it comes to England, but I think he is ruled out of this game.

"It's a bit disappointing not to have him for selection but it is something that is beyond our control and it gives a chance to the other bowlers to prove their mettle when it comes to international cricket."
Despite missing out at Trent Bridge, Dhoni is confident that Zaheer will be fit enough to play in the third Test, starting at Edgbaston on 10 August.
"We are expecting that. It is something we can't be 100% sure about, but most likely it seems he will," Dhoni added.
New India coach Duncan Fletcher showed a clear preference for pace during his time in charge of England, suggesting the brisker - but more unpredictable and erratic - Sreesanth could get the nod ahead of Patel as Zaheer's replacement.
India also have injury problems among their batting line-up, with Dhoni telling reporters that opener Gautam Gambhir is "doubtful at this stage" as he recovers from a badly bruised elbow.
With fellow opener Virender Sehwag not likely to be fit before the third Test, India's batting options are limited if Gambhir does not play - with all-rounder Yuvraj Singh and reserve wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha the only other batsmen available.
England (from): Andrew Strauss (capt), Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Eoin Morgan, Matt Prior (wk), Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, Chris Tremlett, James Anderson, Steven Finn.
India (from): Mahendra Dhoni (capt, wk), Abhinav Mukund, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Praveen Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Sreesanth, Munaf Patel, Wriddhiman Saha.
Umpires: Asad Rauf (Pakistan) and Marais Erasmus (South Africa)
Third umpire: Billy Bowden (New Zealand)
Match Referee: Ranjan Madugalle (Sri Lanka)