Sourav Ganguly

Bangalore: Former Team India captain Sourav Ganguly won’t be available for the second ODI against Australia, in Kochi on Tuesday, but should be fit for the one after that, in Hyderabad on Friday.

Much to his relief, he hasn’t torn the right hamstring. “Thankfully, it’s a strain and not a tear… I should be available for the third match,” Sourav told The Telegraph on Sunday afternoon. He’d just returned to the team hotel after a scan.

Cricket manager Lalchand Rajput said much the same thing. “It’s not a tear, but Sourav has to rest… One can’t take a chance.”

Sourav, it may be recalled, went off the field in the 27th over of the first ODI against the world champions, here on Saturday.

The squad has only been picked for the first three matches and the selectors are likely to rest the Big Three — Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav and Rahul Dravid — by rotation.

The current series features seven ODIs.

Meanwhile, offie Harbhajan Singh is much better. A stiff neck kept him out of the opener. “I can now turn my head to the left… I’m much better and should be available for Tuesday’s match,” he pointed out.

Robin Uthappa too is recovering from a hamstring problem.