Ashwin in Indian team, Harbhajan kept out
October 29th, 2011 - 12:27 am ICT by IANS
Kolkata, Oct 28 (IANS) The Indian selectors Friday inducted young off spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and picked several youngsters in the squad while seasoned pro Harbhajan Singh would have to sit out the first cricket Test against West Indies at Feroze Shah Kotla, Delhi, from Nov 6.
Fit again Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh and Ishant Sharma are also in the 15-member squad announced by Board of Control for Cricket in India secretary Sanjay Jagdale after a meeting of the senior selection committee here.
Selection committee sources said skipper Dhoni was given the option of opting out of the Test to rest his tired muscles, but the wicketkeeper-batsman said he could carry on.
Suresh Raina has got the axe because of his poor Test form while opening bat Ajinkya Rahane, pacers Varun Aaron and Umesh Yadav and spinner Rahul Sharma get their maiden Test call up. Sharma’s inclusion was suprising, considering his ordinary performance in the domestic season.
Batsman Virat Kohli, who came up with a superb performance notching up 270 runs in the ODI series opposite England, gets another opportunity to prove his mettle at the Test level after failing to shine in the longer version of the game in the Caribbeans June-July.
The committee chaired by Krishnamachari Srikkanth, preferred Ashwin over the experienced Harbhajan Singh as a reward for the youngster’s impressive performance in the just-concluded ODI series opposite England. Ashwin took ten scalps, one less than highest wicket taker Ravindra Jadeja in the five-match series.
Harbhajan had come up with an ordinary performance in the two Tests he played in England before returning home following an abdominal muscle injury. The 31-year-old Punjab bowler missed out on the home ODI series versus England where India whitewashed the visitors 5-0
Praveen Kumar, who put up a fine performance in the West Indies and England, did not find a place in the squad, but selection panel sources said he was being kept fresh in view of the coming Australia tour.
Following is the squad: M S Dhoni (captain), Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, V.V.S. Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, R. Ashwin, Pragyan Ojha, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Virat Kohli, Varun Aaron, Ajinkya Rahane and Rahul Sharma.
–Indo-Asian news Service
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- Harbhajan left out of Australia squad - Nov 26, 2011
- ODIs: Sehwag to lead India against Windies, Dhoni rested - Nov 25, 2011
- Mithun replaces Praveen in Test squad for Australia tour - Dec 06, 2011
- Selectors bite the bullet, discard Harbhajan; Saha reserve wicketkeeper (Lead) - Nov 26, 2011
- No room for Harbhajan as selectors retain squad for Eden Test - Nov 10, 2011
- Harbhajan fails to make comeback to ODI squad - Oct 18, 2011
- Board's Grade A contract for Yuvraj, Ishant and Virat - Oct 29, 2011
- Will Harbhajan be the 17th player for Oz tour? - Nov 25, 2011
- Selectors drop Yuvraj, call-up Rohit for third Test - Nov 17, 2011
- Tendulkar back; big chance for India's GenNext against Windies - Nov 05, 2011
- India look for revenge as they take on confident England (Preview) - Oct 13, 2011
- India aiming for a clean sweep of West Indies - Nov 21, 2011
- Indian Test squad chosen from the future point of view: Srikkanth - Oct 29, 2011
- India look for series win and Tendulkar's 100th ton at Eden (Preview) - Nov 13, 2011
- West Indies opt to bat against India - Nov 22, 2011
Tags: abdominal muscle, ashwin, caribbeans, cricket test, dhoni, feroze, harbhajan singh, jadeja, kotla, maiden test, member squad, muscle injury, odi series, praveen kumar, ravichandran, selection panel, virender sehwag, wicket taker, wicketkeeper, yuvraj singh