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Sachin, Kumble, Prasad recalled

Indian selectors recalled top stars, including Sachin Tendulkar, while effecting wholesale changes in the 14-member team for the next two matches in the Coco Cola Cup series, involving Kenya and Bangladesh.

Announcing the team here tonight, Board of Control of Cricket in India secretary J Y Lele said only four members of the present team -- Ajay Jadeja, Robin Singh, Rahul Dravid and V V S Laxman -- have been retained.

Among those recalled are leg spinner Anil Kumble, speedster B K Venkatesh Prasad, wicket-keeper Saba Karim and medium pacer Paras Mhambrey.

This is the line-up: Ajay Jadeja, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Navjot Singh Sidhu, Robin Singh, Saba Karim, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Paras Mhambrey, B K Venkatesh Prasad, Nilesh Kulkarni, Jyothi Yadav, Nikhil Chopra and V V S Laxman.

The team selection was made during the match between India and Kenya in Bangalore. The team for the May 31 finals will be named at Gwalior. India will take on Bangladesh in Bombay on May 25 and Kenya at Gwalior on May 28.

Lele said Mohammed Azharuddin would return to lead India in the Gwalior match, with Ajay Jadeja making way for him. Jatin Paranjape of Bombay and Nayan Mongia would return in place of V V S Laxman and Saba Karim respectively.

The selectors' decision raised many eyebrows since spinner Sairaj Bahutule of Bombay and batsman Nikhil Haldipur of West Bengal were dropped without they having played a match. The selectors and Indian coach Anshuman Gakewad have been stressing that the tournament would be used to build up the team for next year's world cup.

However, selectors have picked up promising players like Jyoti Yadav from Uttar Pradesh, off-spinner Nikhil Chopra from Delhi and Jatin Paranjape with an eye on the future.

The selectors had announced that they were resting Sachin Tendulkar and Anil Kumble while naming the team for the first two matches.