Raju, Chauhan in, Kuruvilla, Prasad out
The national selectors today recalled leg-spinner Venkatpathy Raju, batsman V V S Laxman and Hrishikesh Kanitkar to the national squad for the first Test against Australia, starting at Madras on March 6.
THE TEAM
M Azharuddin (capt)
Navjot Sidhu
Nayan Mongia (wk)
Rahul Dravid
Saurav Ganguly
Hrishikesh Kanitkar
Sachin Tendulkar
V V S Laxman
Anil Kumble
Venkatapathy Raju
Javagal Srinath
Rajesh Chauhan
Harvinder Singh
Debashish Mohanty
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Medium pacers Abey Kuruvilla and Venkatesh Prasad, leg-spinner Nilesh Kulkarni and batsman Ajay Jadeja, who were in the team which played the last Test against Sri Lanka have been dropped. Also in the 14 was off-spinner Rajesh Chauhan, whose action has been cleared by the International Cricket Council just two days ago.
Chairman of the selection committee Ramakant Desai explained the changes: The selectors felt Kuruvilla unimpressive both in bowling and fielding and that Raju was a better spinner now than Kulkarni. Jadeja is recovering from a knee operation and Venkatesh Prasad is not fully fit.
Surprisingly, Prasad has been picked for the Board President's team scheduled to play Australia in Vishakhapatnam from March 1.
Significantly, the last Test Raju played was in 1996, at Notinghamshire. There too, Azharuddin was captain. Desai said it was just a coincidence and that Raju had been selected purely on merit. He said the
captain had only suggested the name of Raju.
Desai, who has stopped travelling after his heart attack said that he had to rely on his colleagues' opinions and they had told him that Raju was a better bowler than when he had last played.
Desai had no explanation why Prasad was being picked for the match prior to the first Test that he was dropped from because of that very injury. He said selectors felt Prasad would not be taxed much and that he could also prove his fitness in the Vishakhapatnam match.
Desai said Prasad's main flaw was that, due to the shoulder injury he suffered in Sri Lanka last year, he could not throw the ball.
Desai was also unable to give details regarding Javagal Srinath who has not played the last two Ranji games for his state, Karnataka. He said Srinath, who came back from a shoulder injury only last November, is fit and that was all he knew.
He supported Harvinder Singh's inclusion, stating that in him and Mohanty lay India's pace future while kuruvilla may have another year or two of active cricket. He said Vinod Kambli, Ajit Agarkar, Noel David and Paras Mhambrey were considered and rejected.
Mohanty, who is in Pakistan with the India "A" team will return soon. India "A" will now play a three-day extra Test with Pakistan "A" that starting on March 1.
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