New Delhi: Ajay Jadeja has been included in the 16-member Delhi Ranji Trophy squad for the 2003-04 season.

“Jadeja has made himself available and as far as we know he is allowed to play domestic cricket,” Chetan Chauhan, chairman of selectors of Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA), said.

“Anyway, we are writing to the BCCI of Jadeja’s inclusion. It is a permission seeking letter, and if there is any objection we will proceed accordingly,” Chauhan said.

BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya said in Calcutta that the BCCI would go strictly by legal opinion.

“It has been the consistent stand of the BCCI that the court should have the last word on this. If the court has no objection to Jadeja playing the Ranji Trophy, we won’t come in the way,” Dalmiya said.

Meanwhile, Virender Sehwag has been named the captain but since he is expected to be away on national duty, the team will be led by the vice-captain Mithun Manhas, Surinder Khanna, member of the DDCA selection committee, said.

Khanna also informed that Kunal Lal, son of former India cricketer Madan Lal, who is also the coach of the Delhi team, has been named as cover for Ashish Nehra, whenever the left-arm seamer is away on national duty.

SQUAD:

Virender Sehwag (capt.), Mithun Manhas (vice-capt.), Aakash Chopra, Gautam Gambhir, Salil Oberoi, Ajay Jadeja, Vijay Dahiya, Sarandeep Singh, Rahul Sanghvi, Ashish Nehra (Kunal Lal), Amit Bhandari, Sanjay Gill, Pradeep Chawla, Rajat Bhatia, Varun Kumar, N. S. Negi.