New Delhi: After being dropped from ODIs due to poor form, Virender Sehwag is all set to lead the 14-member Rest of India squad for the Irani Cup match against Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai to be held at the Wankhede Stadium from February 6 to 10.
Apart from Sehwag’s leadership, there have been few other surprises -- the Turbanator Harbhajan Singh and Kerala express S.Sreesanth have been given a chance in Rest of India line-up to prove their form and fitness.
However, out-of-form Indian opener Gautam Gambhir has not been selected in any of the squads. Similarly, Zaheer Khan and Umesh Yadav have been dropped because of their poor fitness levels. Manoj Tiwary, who has recovered from his injury, has been included in the Rest of India squad as well as India 'A' squad that will take on Australia.
The squad announced by All-India Senior Selection Committee at Bengaluru for the ROI team includes six batsmen, six bowlers, one all-rounder in Jalaj Saxena and a wicket-keeper in Wriddhiman Saha.
Apart from the ROI squad, in Tuesday's meeting, the selectors have also shortlisted the names of Board President's XI and India A team for practice matches against visiting Australia.
Left-handed opener Abhinav Mukund will lead the Board President's XI side against Australia in a two-day game at Chennai from February 12 and 13. Punjab opener Jiwanjot Singh, who smashed five centuries, earned himself a place in the India 'A' squad. Another Promising all-rounder Parveez Rasool has been given a golden opportunity for his splendid performance in this season's Ranji Trophy and has been included in the Board President's XI team for the warm-up game against Australia.
Meanwhile, the India A team is all set to take on Australia in a three-day match in Chennai from February 16 to 18 will be under the captaincy of Delhi south-paw Shikhar Dhawan, a statement from BCCI secretary Sanjay Jagdale said.
Teams:
Rest of India: Virender Sehwag (captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Murali Vijay, Manoj Tiwary, Suresh Raina, Wriddhiman Saha, Harbhajan Singh, S Sreesanth, Pragyan Ojha, Ishwar Pandey, Abhimanyu Mithun, Ambati Rayudu, Shami Ahmed, Jalaj Saxena.
Board President's XI: Abhinav Mukund (captain), Robin Uthappa, Ambati Rayudu, Mandeep Singh, Kedar Jadhav, Parthiv Patel, Stuart Binny, Sarabjit Ladda, Parveez Rasool, Mohammed Shami, Parvinder Awana, Kamlesh Makwana.
India 'A': Shikhar Dhawan (captain), Jiwanjot Singh, Rohit Sharma, Manoj Tiwary, Ajinkya Rahane, CM Gautam, Rakesh Dhruv, Jalaj Saxena, Manpreet Gony, Vinay Kumar, Dhawal Kulkarni, Ashok Menaria.