HAPPY DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN: Virender Sehwag’s ODI career was revived by the selectors with a recall to the National team for the first two games against Pakistan.
Ahmedabad: Virender Sehwag’s one-day career that had come to an abrupt halt after the two-match series in Bangladesh in May was revived by the national selectors here on Saturday when they included him in the Indian squad for the first two one-day internationals to be played against Pakistan at Guwahati and Mohali.
Sehwag, who has missed 19 matches for India after the Bangaldesh tour, has so far played 20 matches against Pakistan and scored 651 runs at 32.55.
The selectors also rewarded Uttar Pradesh seamer Praveen Kumar for his consistent showing for his State, India ‘A’ and in the Challenger Trophy here in the last two days.
Praveen Kumar has captured nine wickets in the competition here.
Nothing spectacularThough Sehwag has done nothing spectacular to warrant a recall after five months — in between he played three Afro-Asian Cup matches — he has been given a chance.
He was a member of the Indian team that won the ICC T20 competition in South Africa.
On Saturday the selectors also hinted at a potential end to the one-day career of Rahul Dravid who has scored 20,077 runs for India in 445 matches with 36 centuries, 129 half centuries and held 274 catches.
Meagre collectionClearly, Dravid’s meagre collection of 51 runs in six matches against Australia went against him.
He was not in the XI for the seventh match against Australia that India won at the Wankhede Stadium.
“Sehwag has been among the runs in recent times and today also he showed his form scoring 75.
“Dravid has been given a break, he’s a great player. The players whose form and fitness are good will always be considered for India.
Form and fitness“Form and fitness applies to all players. This is a five-match series against Pakistan and we have picked the team for the first two matches,” said Dilip Vengsarkar, Chairman of the national selection committee.
Tamil Nadu’s wicketkeeper batsman Dinesh Karthik has been dropped after his poor display in the five matches he played against England and the one against Australia.
It’s unfortunate that S. Badrinath, who had replaced the injured Gautam Gambhir in the Indian squad from the fifth match against Australia, had to make way for the left-hander.
Match fitnessGambhir proved his match fitness in the T20 match at Mumbai and also the two matches here in the Challenger Trophy.
The secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, Niranjan Shah, said Mahendra Singh Dhoni had been consulted over phone.
He added that Lalchand Rajput would continue to be the cricket manager for the ODI series against Pakistan.
The team for matches at Guwahati and Mohali: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Yuvraj Singh (vice-captain), Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Robin Uthappa, Virender Sehwag, Irfan Pathan, Zaheer Khan, Rudra Pratap Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Murali Kartik, Rohit Sharma, S. Sreesanth, Gautam Gambhir, Praveen Kumar. Lalchand Rajput (Cricket Manager).
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