Centurion: A fitness crisis was brewing in the bowling department for India with Ajit Agarkar and Munaf Patel picking varying kinds of injuries.

Agarkar will be out for a month after suffering a groin injury in the Twenty20 international in Johannesburg Friday while Patel was hoping to recover from a sore ankle and be fit for the first Test starting on December 15. Agarkar, not part of the Test team, has been ruled out of the final one-dayer here Sunday and was due to return home on Monday. Thereafter, it would be a race against time for the Mumbai allrounder to be fit in time for the home series against the West Indies in January. (Agencies)