Zak all set for India comeback
Mumbai: The senior selection committee of the BCCI will meet on Tuesday to pick the Indian squad for the three-game Test series against Sri Lanka, which is scheduled to start from Nov 16.
The selection panel, chaired by Krishnamachari Srikkanth, is likely to bring back medium pacer Zaheer Khan into the squad. His recent fine performance against Punjab in the Ranji Trophy goes to prove that he has not only sufficiently recovered from his shoulder injury but also regained wicket-taking ability.
One medium pacer who picks himself purely on performance is Ashish Nehra even though he had been performing well in the shorter version of the game. Apart from his form, what also goes in his favour is his international experience. Munaf Patel’s impressive performance at the Irani Cup, where he bagged a fifer, may go in his favour. Ishant Sharma may have been struggling of late with his length but he is likely to get the selectors’ nod.
The spinning department is a no-brainer; both Harbhajan Singh and Amit Mishra will lead India’s spin challenge.
As far as batting goes, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir will take care of the opening slot. Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman will return to add that solidity to the middle order. Yuvraj is likely to get the nod as number six batsman. Do we need to mention Sachin?
If the panel decides not to go for the reserve wicketkeeper as it is a home series, then Dinesh Karthik may have to make way for S Badrinath.
On the other hand, a 16-member Sri Lankan team, led by Kumar Sangakkara, arrived in Mumbai on Sunday and even had a light practice session on Monday.
India will play three-game Test series, starting from Nov 16-20 at Ahmedabad. The second Test will be played at Kanpur (Nov 24-28) and the two teams will return to Mumbai to play the third and final Test from December 2-6.
Probable Squad:
Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni (capt/wk), Dinesh Karthik/S Badrinath, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Amit Mishra, Ashish Nehra, Ishant Sharma, Munaf Patel
