 Yuvraj dropped, Dhoni rested, Rohit selected
8th Jul 2008 17:03 IST
Agencies
Zaheer, who did not play this year since picking up an injury in the Boxing Day Test, makes a comeback to the side while Sreesanth was not considered because of fitness concerns.
A surprise inclusion was 21-year-old Hyderabad left-arm spinner Ojha, who took three wickets in three Asia Cup ties, the first three ODIs of his fledgling career.
Injury-prone Munaf was also recalled after missing the Asia Cup and forms part of the four-pronged pace attack completed by Zaheer, Rudra Pratap Singh and Ishant Sharma.
Fit-again Tendulkar took his appointed spot in the line-up along with three other seniors Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman.
Yuvraj's omission came as a surprise and the 26-year-old left-handed batsman, who has played 23 Tests, lost his place to young Mumbai rival Rohit whose selection was equally bewildering considering his average form in the Asia Cup.
Presumably, either Karthik or Patel would do the opener's job if necessary, though BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah did not say anything other than announcing the team members' names to the reporters.
The squad is set to depart on July 15 and would open the tour with a three-day tie starting on July 18. The Tests are scheduled at Colombo (first and third from July 23-27 and August 8-12) and Galle (second from July 31-August 4).
Team: Anil Kumble (Capt.), Virender Sehwag (vice Capt.), Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, Gautam Gambhir, Ishant Sharma, Zaheer Khan, R P Singh, Munaf Patel, Rohit Sharma, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Pragyan Ojha and Parthiv Patel (wk).
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