The BCCI Selection Committee on 20th January selected the Indian team for the Tri-Series in Australia in February which also involves Sri Lanka. The Selectors sprang up a surprise when they dropped Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid from the India’s 16 member squad for the lone T-20 and the Tri-Series.
Though Dravid was not included in the ODI squad that played Pakistan, Ganguly was a regular in side after his comeback from wilderness. The reason the selectors give for this change is that they wanted a young side emphasizing on fielding abilities. As a result they included a lot of youngsters in the side. The selectors also kept an eye on the future and so decided to invest in youth rather rather sticking with experience.
The Selection Committee also selected three back-up players who can fly to Australia and serve the team in case of any injury during the tour. Manoj Tiwary, Yusuf Pathan and Munaf Patel have been asigned this role.
Yuvraj Singh retained his vice-captaincy despite rumours about his fitness and an alleged attitude problem. Virender Sehwag also retained his place in the 16-member squad for India’s lone Twenty20 match against Australia, followed by the tri-series starting on February 3. Ishant Sharma earned his place in the side after his impressive performance in the ongoing test series while Shanthakumaran Sreesanth also made a comeback after an injury break to bolster the pace attack that includes all-rounder Pravin Kumar.
The ODI Squad includes- MS Dhoni (Captain), Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh (Vice Captain), Harbhajan Singh, Robin Uthappa, Gautam Gambhir, Irfan Pathan, S Sreesanth, R P Singh, Ishant Sharma, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Dinesh Kaarthick, Piyush Chawla, Praveen Kumar.
The Standby includes- Manoj Tiwary, Yusuf Pathan and Munaf Patel.
Lets see how well this gamble made by the selectors pays off? If the Indian team achieves the feat of winning the series then the selectors decision will be fully and whole-heartedly appreciated. But if something goes wrong then the media and the critics will literally make the life of the players and selectors a hell. But as it is said “Whatever happens is always for a reason” This maybe also the same case.
Ashish Sinha's Weblog 