ABOUT VEERU'S INJURY | Virender Sehwag(Viru)-Indian Cricketer

Sunday, August 2, 2009

ABOUT VEERU'S INJURY

The injury to Virender Sehwag has taken a new turn with reports suggesting that the opener may be forced out of action for three to four months, leaving his participation in the ICC Champions Trophy in doubt. 

The ICC Champions Trophy is to be played in South Africa from Sept. 24 to Oct. 5 and post-operation reports have suggested that the dashing opener from Delhi cannot return to competitive cricket until the first week of September, according to a report published in The Hindu. 


Sehwag was operated on June 11 after arthroscopic investigations by Dr. Angus Wallace, Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at The Park Hospital, Nottingham identified a Grade II Superior Labral Tear from Anterior to Posterior (SLAP) lesion in his right shoulder.


Sehwag was earlier ruled out of the ICC World Twenty20 despite being picked in the squad and travelled to England. The Hindu report suggested Sehwag experienced pain after the arthroscopic repair and required substantial analgesia and shoulder Cryo Cuff to ease pain. 


His rehabilitation programme began soon with pendulum exercises and elbow and hand exercises. He has also been advised to do isometric exercises in static position (without moving the shoulder) and to stay in broad arm sling and continue all exercises for four weeks.


Should the initial rehabilitation schedule produce the desired results, Sehwag will be asked to free himself from the sling and begin shoulder strengthening and mobility exercises. He would be monitored by the Indian team physio Nitin Patel right through the rehabilitation programme and at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore. 


He is likely to undergo isokinetic shoulder strength evaluation in order to find out if he can throw the ball after 10 weeks of the operation and also return to nets by the first week of September, the report added. 


Dr. Wallace expects the SLAP lesion to heal in six weeks in order to begin shoulder strengthening and mobile exercises. The entire rehabilitation process is aimed at easing pain and for a comfortable and pain-free functioning of the right shoulder. Sehwag may return to action in September, but a tardy recovery may not allow him to play until October.


The rest and rehabilitation process is going to be a slow and steady affair and expected to last till the end of August, raising serious doubts whether he would be match fit for the ICC Champions Trophy commencing September 24 in South Africa.


Sehwag's likely absence in the tournament would certainly be a major blow for India's hopes, especially with signs of him having come to terms with the ebbs and flows of the 50-over game in the last twelve months.


However, the bigger question is how far would the repaired joint hamper Sehwag's carefree style of batting in the immediate future.
It's the right shoulder which would come prominently into action for his pull shots, slashes over third man and his patented whippy shots played off the hip.


Sehwag's idol and role model Sachin Tendulkar
had to re-orient his batting style after undergoing shoulder surgery a few years ago under the same surgeon whom he has now consulted, Dr Andrew Wallace.

Millions of his fans would be waiting with bated breath for Sehwag's return to the national side, probably in the seven-match ODI series at home against Australia in October-November after the conclusion of the Champions Trophy.


That series could, perhaps, be a pointer to whether the Delhi marauder can recapture his ability to bat in his patented fashion, especially on the on-side, or would need to reshape his batting style a bit.

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