Yuvraj out of first ODI

Yuvraj Singh, one of the key batsmen in the Indian one-day side, has been ruled out of their first game of the DLF Cup against West Indies on September 14.

"He will land [in Kuala Lampur] on 14th morning," Niranjan Shah, the board secretary, told Cricinfo. "He is down with fever and the doctor has advised him a few days rest." Sources close to the team told Cricinfo that Yuvraj had an allergic reaction to the medicines prescribed for the fever.

Yuvraj was part of the training camp at Bangalore and had been most appreciative of Greg Chappell's innovative ways to involve players in training-sessions. He also toured Sri Lanka with the Indian squad for what turned out to be an abandoned tournament and last played a full match against Sri Lanka A at Colombo.

Since October 2005, Yuvraj has been a lynchpin in India's one-day set-up, rattling up 1128 runs at 56.40. It was a phase when he reeled off four centuries and eight fifties. India will not only miss his pivotal presence in the middle order but also not have his services with the ball, where his fastish left-arm spin has come in handy on several ocassions. India will hope to have him back for their second match of the series, against Australia on September 16.

Meanwhile Greg Chappell, the Indian coach, said that the team would treat the tri-series as practice for the Champions Trophy. Chappell was also positive about the time that the Indian team spent in Sri Lanka where all the matches were washed out. "The players have such a hectic schedule that we don't get such time off from the field often. So we utilised the break [in Colombo] to focus on other aspects of the game," Chappell told Press Trust of India. The humid conditions in Malaysia, Chappell added, were not a worry. "We are used to hot conditions," he said.

The first match of the tri-series between West Indies and Australia is on September 12. All matches are day and night fixtures.