JOIN USDravid left out; Yuvraj, Sehwag in squad
The 36-year-old Dravid, who made a comeback to the one-day fold recently in the September tri-series in Sri Lanka and the ensuing Champions Trophy in South Africa, failed to find favour with the selectors despite a decent show since returning, scoring 180 runs from five matches at an average of 36.
Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh returned to the side after recovering from their respective injuries that forced them out of the Champions Trophy.
Rookie Uttar Pradesh pacer Sudeep Tyagi was the lone new face while another fast bowler Munaf Patel and young all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja made a comeback to the squad announced by the BCCI after a selection panel meeting here.
In an apparent fallout of India’s Champions Trophy debacle, out of form all-rounder Yusuf Pathan and pacer RP Singh were dropped from the squad. Wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Kaarthick and young all-rounder Abhishek Nayar were also left out.
The return of the experienced Yuvraj and Sehwag prompted the selectors to leave out Dravid as it would have been difficult to accommodate the Karnataka right-hander in the middle order. They instead decided to persist with young right-hander Virat Kohli.
The 22-year-old Tyagi, a surprise pick in the team to be led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni, has played 16 first-class matches and has taken 57 wickets at an average of 25.73. He has been rewarded for his fine show in the recent Challenger Series in Nagpur, taking three wickets against India Blue in the final.
The BCCI said Yuvraj, who is still recuperating from a fractured finger, will be completely fit by October 28 for the second one-dayer in Nagpur and might as well be available for the first one-dayer on October 25 in Vadodara.
“Selectors are advised that Yuvraj would definitely be fit to play on October 28. It is possible that he may be able to play the first match as well,” BCCI secretary N Srinivasan said in a statement.
“The decision on the playing XI for the first match will be made based on Yuvraj’s fitness on October 25,” he added. Sehwag, meanwhile, has already recovered from his shoulder injury and is currently playing in the Champions League Twenty20. Selection Committee chairman K Srikkanth said the return of the two explosive batsmen will bolster the Indian line-up.
The squad
Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Gautam Gambhir
Sachin Tendulkar
Virender Sehwag
Yuvraj Singh
Virat Kohli
Praveen Kumar
Amit Mishra
Ashish Nehra
Suresh Raina
Ishant Sharma
Ravindra Jadeja
Munaf Patel
Sudeep Tyagi
Harbhajan Singh
Coach: Gary Kirsten