Injured Dighe flying back to India

It seems now that the selectors' decision to pick two wicket-keepers, which appeared foolish and unwarranted initially, has paid unexpected dividends. Sameer Dighe's back spasms, which were to have kept him out of just the first Test, have now been diagnosed as more serious, with doctors stating that he would not regain match fitness in time for even the third Test.

There has, meanwhile, been no call for a replacement to fly out from India. In the words of Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Niranjan Shah to PTI, "The team management in South Africa has not asked for any replacement for Dighe, who will be flying back home soon, and as of now we will not be sending any player."

Even on this occasion, some miscommunication, which seems to be a perennial problem with the Indian team and the BCCI, made itself felt as both national selector Madan Lal and Shah denied any knowledge of Dighe's final diagnosis. The chairman of the selection committee, Chandu Borde, also appeared to have been kept in the dark. The problem, however, was cleared up when Shah made his statement to the PTI at Mumbai.

The retention of Deep Dasgupta for the Test series has so now proved fortunate, especially from the point of view of the young Bengal 'keeper. Although he showed some nerves behind the stumps on Test debut, he also displayed pluck and sense in his first-innings knock of 34, giving fellow rookie Virender Sehwag the needed support to reach his century.