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Sourav’s deputy for the Dhaka tri-series will be Sehwag. The opener may even lead
if the skipper’s back acts up | Mumbai:
But for Abhijit Kale’s call-up, the national selectors have rewarded talented
youngsters with a first-time senior India summons. Indeed, included in the XV
for the April 11-20 tri-series in Dhaka are Delhi opener Gautam Gambhir and Mumbai
quick Avishkar Salvi. That the right-handed Salvi
and southpaw Gambhir stood an excellent chance was reported in The Telegraph’s
Wednesday edition. However, Hyderabad’s Ambati Tirupati Rayudu has again lost
out — this time to Maharashtra’s Kale, who has been around for years. A right-handed
middle-order bat, Kale will be 30 on July 3. Not
surprisingly, the Kale-move was initiated by West’s wily Kiran More and, soon
enough, two of his colleagues began supporting him. While that slot wasn’t put
to vote, Rayudu ended up with minority support. The
squad, though, will have just one wicketkeeper (Parthiv Patel). The experienced
Vikram Rathore’s name was “discussed,” as a well-placed source put it, but with
the selectors — who met here Wednesday — deciding on one ’keeper, Parthiv had
to be chosen. The three fresh faces apart, untried
leggie Amit Mishra and off-spinner Sarandeep Singh have been recalled. While the
latter has been in and out for some time, Mishra was in the XIV throughout the
home Test series versus the West Indies. Incidentally,
neither Sarandeep nor Mishra would have been considered had Murali Kartik been
available. Similarly, Kale wouldn’t have been in the frame if veteran V.V.S.Laxman
was fit. Both were injured during the recent India A tour of the West Indies. In
fact, if Laxman was available, he would have been Sourav Ganguly’s deputy. Instead,
the vice-captaincy has gone to Virender Sehwag and, if Sourav can’t make it because
of an old back problem, Sehwag will lead against South Africa and Bangladesh. The
‘vacancy’ arose as regular vice-captain Rahul Dravid is one of five first XI players
to have opted out on grounds of fitness/personal reasons. Missing, too, are Sachin
Tendulkar, Anil Kumble (caught in a legal wrangle), Jawagal Srinath and Ashish
Nehra (set for surgery on his right ankle). “It’s
hardly the hottest line-up around but, given the circumstances, we couldn’t have
done better,” remarked one of the selectors, indicating that picking the “best
available XV” was infinitely more difficult than choosing the best XV. Clearly,
the absence of five regulars has provided the Gambhirs and Salvis an excellent
opportunity to push the non-performing first XI players (like Dinesh Mongia).
However, it’s to be seen to what extent the youngsters — even Kale — can actually
make an impression. Significantly, of the 10 retained
from the World Cup campaign, three — Ajit Agarkar, Sanjay Bangar and Parthiv —
played no role in South Africa-Zimbabwe. Bangar, by the way, is the sole allrounder
in a squad with three specialist new-ball operators and as many spinners. Postscript:
Rayudu may still head for Dhaka if Sourav is advised a lay-off, giving his back
enough recovery time before India’s next engagement — the mid-August Asia Cup
in Colombo. THE SQUAD Batsmen:
Sourav Ganguly, Virender Sehwag, Mohammed Kaif, Yuvraj Singh, Dinesh Mongia, Gautam
Gambhir, Abhijit Kale. Bowlers: Ajit Agarkar,
Zaheer Khan, Avishkar Salvi; Harbhajan Singh, Sarandeep Singh, Amit Mishra. Allrounder:
Sanjay Bangar. Wicketkeeper: Parthiv Patel.
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