Nagpur: England's hopes of winning a Test series in India after more than two decades suffered a huge setback today when their inspirational skipper Michael Vanghan was ruled out of the first Test after failing a fitness test.
The 31-year-old Manchester-born Vaughan, whose knee was operated on after he returned midway from last year-end's tour of Pakistan, would be flying home at the earliest to attend to his troublesome knee.
"He has not been ruled out of the entire tour but is going to miss the fist Test and is returning home," team's Media Manager Andrew Walpole said.
However, at the moment it looks highly unlikely that Vaughan would come back for the tour, comprising three Tests and seven One-Dayers.
The latest setback is a major blow for the Englishmen's hopes of winning a Test series in India for the first time since 1984-85 when David Gower's team beat Sunil Gavaskar's squad 2-1 in a five-Test series.
Only two other English teams have won a Test series in India, Douglas Jardine's team in the early 1930s when India were the minnows of cricket and Tony Greig's 1976 squad.
England could not have had a more hassled start to their tour, bogged as they are by injury and other problems.
Marcus Trescothick, who deputised for Vaughan in Pakistan, has already flown back home due to "personal reasons" while paceman Simon Jones hurt himself during practice on Monday morning.
In the absence of Vaughan and Trescothick, exciting all rounder and man of the last Ashes series, Andrew Flintoff would lead the squad in the first Test that begins from Wednesday.
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