Mandeep Singh to miss India A tour of South Africa

What’s the Story?

Punjab batsman Mandeep Singh is all to set to be ruled out of team India A’s tour of South Africa.

He is currently suffering from a back injury, which has caused him to sit out of the tour. In a recent press release, Mandeep described how the injury resurfaced after a fair bit of recovery. “It is disappointing to lose out. I was at rehab at the NCA and was feeling better. I played a practice game and then the pain intensified."

Earlier this month, in an interview with the Hindustan Times, he mentioned both the injury and his struggles in the recent past. “The word surgery rang alarm bells. I was already upset with the IPL performance and the niggling pain in the back made me more upset. I never felt so low in my career. I underwent a mid-career crisis in a way. When I came to the NCA, I was told the back could be treated with rest and strengthening. Knowing this, my motivation came back," the batsman said.

In case you didn’t know…

The India A side for the tour of South Africa has been announced last month, with Mandeep Singh finding a place in the squad only for the limited overs series.

The BCCI announced the One Day squad of 16 members, which will be captained by Karnataka batsman Manish Pandey.

The heart of the matter

The Jalandhar-born cricketer started suffering from the injury when he experienced pain in the back during the end of the tenth season of the Indian Premier League. He was diagnosed with a disc prolapse in the lower back after an MRI scan.

However, Mandeep was not keen on surgery, opting instead for rest and rehabilitation which he underwent at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore. However, to Mandeep’s dismay, the pain was aggravated just before the start of the series.

Team physiotherapist Patrick Farhart backed Mandeep in saying that the surgery could be avoided.

What’s Next?

India A were scheduled to play a couple of unofficial Tests against South Africa, followed by a triangular series against the hosts and Australia A. However, pay disputes between Cricket Australia (CA) and the Australian Cricketer’s Association (ACA) led to the Australian team backing out of the tournament.

India will now be playing a couple of One Day matches each against Afghanistan A and South Africa A.

Author’s Take

Although some injuries might look harmless on the surface, there may be several attached - and not very obvious complications to them.

An injury that might not seem to be a major concern now could turn out to be a life-changing one if not taken care of in the appropriate manner.

Mandeep Singh and Patrick Farhart’s decision to not go for the surgery may have cost Mandeep a place in the One Day squad, but time has by no means run out for the Punjab batsman. With proper surgery, he could well recover quickly to make a strong comeback.