<p>Medium-pacer Munaf Patel will join the Indian team for the tri-series currently under way here.<br /><br />The 27-year-old Patel was a part of the Test squad though he didn’t play in any of the three matches. Not originally picked in the Test party, he was flown out as replacement once S Sreesanth was ruled out with a knee injury, not long after the team arrived in Sri Lanka.<br />Patel left for India immediately after the conclusion of the final Test last Saturday after not being named in the original 15-man party for the triangular series.<br /><br />His induction as a reinforcement, and not as a replacement, has been necessitated by the ankle injury to Ishant Sharma which forced him to miss the opening game of the tri-series on Friday, and the heatstroke suffered by Abhimanyu Mithun which prevented him from bowling more than four overs.<br /><br />Patel has been more out of than in the Indian eleven for the last year and a half. Indeed, since March 2009, he has played just five 50-over internationals, and his last one-dayer was in November last year, against Australia in Guwahati. His recall also owes a lot to the unavailability through injury of both Zaheer Khan and S Sreesanth.<br /><br />Patel will join his team-mates here in Dambulla on Friday, according to a press release from N Srinivasan, the secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India.<br /><br />The Indians had an optional practice session on Friday evening, most of the Test boys sitting it out. Ishant had a good run out, seemingly untroubled by the left ankle injury that necessitated heavy strapping as he bowled a long spell at nets to Rohit Sharma, Dinesh Kaarthick and Virat Kohli. Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin completed the set of six that attended optional nets, overseen as usual by coach Gary Kirsten, with bowling coach Eric Simons keeping a close watch on Ishant’s progress. The rest of the team had another day off, manager Ranjib Biswal and a few others taking the opportunity to drive down to Trincomalee to enjoy the sights there.<br /></p>
<p>Medium-pacer Munaf Patel will join the Indian team for the tri-series currently under way here.<br /><br />The 27-year-old Patel was a part of the Test squad though he didn’t play in any of the three matches. Not originally picked in the Test party, he was flown out as replacement once S Sreesanth was ruled out with a knee injury, not long after the team arrived in Sri Lanka.<br />Patel left for India immediately after the conclusion of the final Test last Saturday after not being named in the original 15-man party for the triangular series.<br /><br />His induction as a reinforcement, and not as a replacement, has been necessitated by the ankle injury to Ishant Sharma which forced him to miss the opening game of the tri-series on Friday, and the heatstroke suffered by Abhimanyu Mithun which prevented him from bowling more than four overs.<br /><br />Patel has been more out of than in the Indian eleven for the last year and a half. Indeed, since March 2009, he has played just five 50-over internationals, and his last one-dayer was in November last year, against Australia in Guwahati. His recall also owes a lot to the unavailability through injury of both Zaheer Khan and S Sreesanth.<br /><br />Patel will join his team-mates here in Dambulla on Friday, according to a press release from N Srinivasan, the secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India.<br /><br />The Indians had an optional practice session on Friday evening, most of the Test boys sitting it out. Ishant had a good run out, seemingly untroubled by the left ankle injury that necessitated heavy strapping as he bowled a long spell at nets to Rohit Sharma, Dinesh Kaarthick and Virat Kohli. Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin completed the set of six that attended optional nets, overseen as usual by coach Gary Kirsten, with bowling coach Eric Simons keeping a close watch on Ishant’s progress. The rest of the team had another day off, manager Ranjib Biswal and a few others taking the opportunity to drive down to Trincomalee to enjoy the sights there.<br /></p>