Haddin flies to India to cover for Gilchrist

New South Wales wicketkeeper Brad Haddin will fly to India tomorrow as cover for Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist.

Gilchrist, the man of the match in the First Test victory against India at Mumbai during the week for his blistering century, injured his hip at training on Saturday. He is expected to be fit for the Second Test in Calcutta.

Twenty-four year-old Haddin, who has appeared in one one-day international for Australia against Zimbabwe in January, will miss the final day of New South Wales' Pura Cup match against Queensland at the Sydney Cricket Ground tomorrow. He is expected to play in the Australian eleven in their three-day match against the Board President's XI in Delhi starting on Tuesday, and will remain with the Australian touring party afterwards.

Greg Mail will take over as wicketkeeper for New South Wales for the remainder of the Pura Cup match. Graeme Rummans comes into the team as substitute for Haddin.

Haddin is a former Australian Under-19 international who first made his mark at senior level for the Canberra Comets in the Mercantile Mutual Cup in the 1997-98 season. He joined the New South Wales Blues in 1999-2000. A hard-hitting right-handed batsman, he has a career strike-rate in excess of a run a ball in 25 Mercantile Mutual Cup appearances.

In 19 first-class appearances including the current Pura Cup game, he has scored 1017 runs at 31.78 with a highest score of 93, and completed 53 dismissals.