The Indian squad which will tour England for the four-match Test series was announced today and there weren’t any major surprises in the line-up. There were returns for all the major players who had either missed the series against West Indies due to injuries or skipped it to rest their fatigued bodies.
India’s Announce 17-Member Team For England Tour
Sachin Tendulkar returns back into the side, as does Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh and Zaheer Khan.
Virender Sehwag, who had missed the West Indies series because of his shoulder injury, has also been named in the 17-member squad, but will not join the team for the first Test match at Lord’s. This will give him more time to get fit.
The selectors have also given Murali Vijay, Virat Kohli and S Badrinath the axe after a shoddy performance in the West Indies. Vijay’s four innings have yielded only 22 runs in the series so far whereas Kohli has scored 46 in four. Badrinath wasn’t even given a chance in the Tests after his failures in the ODI series. In a surprise move, back-up wicket-keeper Parthiv Patel has been replaced by Wriddhiman Saha.
If Sehwag does not feature in the first Test match, it would mean that the opening guard will be held by Gambhir and Abhinav Mukund, who seemed to have usurped his Tamil Nadu opening partner Vijay in the squad. Mukund showed some grit in the second innings of the first Test against West Indies but his 48 in the second Test match seems to have tilted the balance in his favour.
Yuvraj Singh makes a comeback to the squad and there will be a tussle with Suresh Raina for the number six slot in the playing eleven. Yuvraj may have to carry the drinks and wait for his turn.
The bowling attack will be led by Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh and there should be two other pace bowlers for the conditions in England. Ishant’s six-wicket haul could earn him one spot, while Praveen Kumar’s ability to swing the ball around will play a role in his selection in the eleven as well.
India’s squad for England tour:
MS Dhoni (captain), Gautam Gambhir (vice-captain), Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, VVS Laxman, Rahul Dravid, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Wriddhiman Saha Abhinav Mukund, Amit Mishra, Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh, Munaf Patel, Ishant Sharma, Sreesanth, Praveen Kumar
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