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Eddie Chikamhi Sports Reporter
MIDDLE order batsman Craig Ervine is racing against time as he needs to shake off a hamstring injury before the final team to face India is named next week.

Ervine was injured last month during the team’s visit to Pakistan and has been undergoing treatment.

Zimbabwe coach Dav Whatmore said he wanted all his players available, but now with India’s tour now exactly a week away, it appears Ervine could be a major doubt.

India are scheduled to arrive next Tuesday for a 10-day tour that will include three One Day Internationals and two Twenty20 series.

Whatmore yesterday said the middle order batsman will have to pass a fitness test before the squad is condensed down to the final 15.

However, there was good news concerning Vusi Sibanda, who had picked an ankle injury during the early days of the preparations.

“With Vusi, there is no problem. He’s fielding now. He fielded 50 overs in the last match and that has been the same thing today (yesterday).

“But Craig Ervine still has to pass a fitness test with his hamstring. He sustained that injury in the second ODI against Pakistan,” said Whatmore.

Zimbabwe and India will square off in the first ODI next Friday.

The hosts have been preparing for the tour for close to three weeks and Whatmore was impressed by the progress they have made as a team.

The side continued with their preparations yesterday at Harare Sports Club, where all the matches will take place, as they engaged in practice games.

“To start with, it was more or less focusing on the fitness and fielding side, but as we get closer towards international competition we become a little bit more specific in training in terms of practice matches.

“So, from the physical aspect, we move to skill and then practice matches. It’s been pretty good. The weather has been wonderful.

“We had good facilities, we had reasonable time and next week we will see the fruits of all this. We look forward to the competition,” said Whatmore.

India’s selectors this week named a 15-man squad that excluded their captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, Ravichandran Ashwin, Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli.

The players in the side, however, are not short of international cricket, with the most experienced member of the touring squad being 34-year-old off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, who has 229 ODI and 25 T20I caps.

India are coming from an unsuccessful ODI tour of Bangladesh during which they lost the first two matches before winning the third and final one.

Zimbabwe had an equally miserable outing on their recent tour of Pakistan and will be looking for positive performances at home.

Zimbabwe training squad:

Sikandar Raza Butt, Regis Chakabva, Chamunorwa Chibhabha, Elton Chigumbura, Graeme Cremer, Craig Ervine, Luke Jongwe, Roy Kaia, Tafadzwa Kamungozi, Neville Madziva, Hamilton Masakadza, Christopher Mpofu, Richmond Mutumbami, Tinashe Panyangara, Vusimuzi Sibanda, Donald Tiripano, Prosper Utseya, Brian Vitori, Malcolm Waller and Sean Williams.