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 Kaarthick 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 here.
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 S Sreesanth
during the Indian Premier League.
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