India, demolished by New Zealand in their opening game of the tri-series, suffered a major blow ahead of today's second match against Sri Lanka with the news that Yuvraj Singh, their big-hitting batsman, was diagnosed with dengue fever, a potentially fatal illness that is spread by mosquitos.
Yuvraj has been ruled out for today's match in Dambulla, which is crucial to India's chances in the tournament after the embarrassing 200-run defeat against the Kiwis in their opening match.
Ashish Nehra, the left-arm pace bowler, could join him on the sidelines with a thigh strain, while Ishant Sharma is a doubt as he nurses a knee injury.
"Yuvraj Singh is not available for this game," MS Dhoni, the India captain, said at the pre-match press conference.
"He has dengue but he is out of danger. We are monitoring Ashish Nehra. He has got a bit of problem with his glute [muscle]. So we will take the exact decision before the game. Ishant is shaping up well. As of now, these are the two players who may be missing out."
The injury-ravaged India team in Sri Lanka are already missing Zaheer Khan, their pace bowling spearhead, and Gautam Gambhir, the opening batsman, and Dhoni admitted he was worried about the amount of overs his bowlers were having to put in during their current schedule.
"The workload on the bowler can be too much - especially for those playing both the Test matches and the one-dayers," Dhoni said. "Because the workload on them is a bit too much, that really challenges the limit. For batsmen, they don't have to put in the same amount of effort compared to a bowler."
Injuries to the bowling attack have made it a frustrating trip to Sri Lanka for India. They laboured to a 1-1 tie in the Test series and lost the opening match of the ODI tri-series against New Zealand, on Tuesday, but Dhoni said the dressing room is still in high spirits.
"We had some time off," he said. "So we tried to make the most of it. We had a few days off. I don't think the spirit has been affected that much. Of course, it was a disappointing loss. So hopefully we will turn up on the field well prepared for the challenges."
Sri Lanka started their tri-series campaign with a three-wicket win over New Zealand, but Kumar Sangakkara, their captain, is expecting India to bounce back.
"It will depend on what they are thinking about and the Indian team know that they are a good side," Sangakkara said. "In ODI and T20 cricket, it doesn't matter what you have done even the day before. If you come in and perform well the next day, you can still win.
"So we know how dangerous India is. We know what we have got to do, so we will try and do our disciplines better than India hopefully."
Sangakkara has also advocated a rotation policy for his players, especially the bowlers, with the World Cup scheduled to be held in the subcontinent next year.
"From a team point of view, we can recommend rest to certain players, especially fast bowlers because of their [work] load," he said. "But the final call has to come from the selectors, otherwise there is too much responsibility on individual players.
"And when you have a rotational policy, I think it is important that the player has the confidence that if you are rotated out of the team, you get first choice back. It doesn't matter if your replacement scores a hundred or a double.
"I think everyone must understand that and must be convinced about the merits of a rotational policy. Bowlers will be rotated more often and batsmen less because you want a batsman to be always among runs."
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Important questions to consider
1. Where on the plane does my pet travel?
There are different types of travel available for pets:
- Manifest cargo
- Excess luggage in the hold
- Excess luggage in the cabin
Each option is safe. The feasibility of each option is based on the size and breed of your pet, the airline they are traveling on and country they are travelling to.
2. What is the difference between my pet traveling as manifest cargo or as excess luggage?
If traveling as manifest cargo, your pet is traveling in the front hold of the plane and can travel with or without you being on the same plane. The cost of your pets travel is based on volumetric weight, in other words, the size of their travel crate.
If traveling as excess luggage, your pet will be in the rear hold of the plane and must be traveling under the ticket of a human passenger. The cost of your pets travel is based on the actual (combined) weight of your pet in their crate.
3. What happens when my pet arrives in the country they are traveling to?
As soon as the flight arrives, your pet will be taken from the plane straight to the airport terminal.
If your pet is traveling as excess luggage, they will taken to the oversized luggage area in the arrival hall. Once you clear passport control, you will be able to collect them at the same time as your normal luggage. As you exit the airport via the ‘something to declare’ customs channel you will be asked to present your pets travel paperwork to the customs official and / or the vet on duty.
If your pet is traveling as manifest cargo, they will be taken to the Animal Reception Centre. There, their documentation will be reviewed by the staff of the ARC to ensure all is in order. At the same time, relevant customs formalities will be completed by staff based at the arriving airport.
4. How long does the travel paperwork and other travel preparations take?
This depends entirely on the location that your pet is traveling to. Your pet relocation compnay will provide you with an accurate timeline of how long the relevant preparations will take and at what point in the process the various steps must be taken.
In some cases they can get your pet ‘travel ready’ in a few days. In others it can be up to six months or more.
5. What vaccinations does my pet need to travel?
Regardless of where your pet is traveling, they will need certain vaccinations. The exact vaccinations they need are entirely dependent on the location they are traveling to. The one vaccination that is mandatory for every country your pet may travel to is a rabies vaccination.
Other vaccinations may also be necessary. These will be advised to you as relevant. In every situation, it is essential to keep your vaccinations current and to not miss a due date, even by one day. To do so could severely hinder your pets travel plans.
Source: Pawsome Pets UAE
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