 Yuvraj dropped, Dhoni rested, Rohit selected
8th Jul 2008 17:03 IST
Agencies
Struggling players Yuvraj Singh and Irfan Pathan lost their places in India's Test squad today with the national selectors including ODI batsman Rohit Sharma and replacing an exhausted Mahendra Singh Dhoni with wicketkeeper-batsman Parthiv Patel for the three-match Test series in Sri Lanka later this month.
Veterans Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan are back in the 16-member team, along with Munaf Patel and uncapped left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha. Opener Wasim Jaffer and injured medium pacer S Sreesanth have been omitted.
With Dhoni opting out of the series citing fatigue, the selectors included two wicket keepers in Dinesh Karthik and Parthiv, who forced his way back riding on his splendid performance in domestic cricket.
"MS Dhoni had conveyed his request to skip the Test series to the selectors. He has accordingly been rested for the series," the BCCI said in a statement after the selection committee meeting in Mumbai.
Jaffer was expectedly dropped and in his place in-form Delhi opener Gautam Gambhir was inducted in the squad, which has seven specialist batsmen, four pacers, three spinners and two wicket-keepers.
In Dhoni's absence, the squad will have a new vice-captain in Virender Sehwag.
While Tendulkar had been recuperating from a groin injury that forced him out to sit out of the third and final Test against South Africa in April, Harbhajan was serving a five-match ODI ban for slapping teammate Sreesanth during the Indian Premier League.
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