Yuvraj primed for Test comeback
Yuvraj Singh is the top contender to replace Sourav Ganguly, who retired last month, in the Indian squad for the two-Test series against England, scheduled to start in Chennai on December 11. Gautam Gambhir, who was banned for one Test by match referee Chris Broad after he nudged Australian Shane Watson with his elbow during the Delhi Test, will come back into the squad. The selectors, who meet in Chennai on Thursday afternoon, are likely to pick a 14-member squad.
Yuvraj, who last played a Test against South Africa in Kanpur in April, virtually sealed his berth after his imperious form in the truncated ODI series against England recently. He ended as the top run-maker with two spectacular centuries. With his explosive batting Yuvraj silenced the critics who had been harping about his lean form at the beginning of the season: in the three Challenger Trophy games he had single-digit scores. Later he failed to inspire Punjab in the solitary Ranji match he played before the England series. But the selectors, including chairman Kris Srikkanth, recently made positive comments about Yuvraj being the best man to fill Ganguly's middle-order slot.
What remains to be seen is if the selectors will retain M Vijay, who was plucked out of a Ranji game to fill in for Gambhir in the Nagpur Test against Australia. The selectors face a hard choice between Vijay and S Badrinath, who was part of the squad against Australia. Though Badrinath has been seen as the frontrunner in the past to play in the middle order, Vijay seems to have overtaken him in the selectors' eyes with his batting as well as his agility as a close-in fielder.
The chances of any fresh face(s) being picked in the middle order remain slim, but the possibility of names like Cheteshwar Pujara and Rohit Sharma cannot be ruled out. Rohit was part of the Test squad in Sri Lanka while Pujara recently piled three triple centuries for Saurasthra - one in the Ranji Trophy and two in an Under-22 tournament. It would have helped the duo if the ECB had not scrapped England's lone practice game.
The bowling unit is likely to be retained, with Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma sharing the new ball and Harbhajan Singh and Amit Mishra being the two specialist spinners. Munaf Patel will continue to be the third seamer, but the fate of his partner, RP Singh, is not so clear. There were reported difference between Dhoni and the selection panel over RP's selection ahead of the ODI series against England and it boiled over into a controversy after a selector leaked it to a member of the press.
If the selectors opt for a 15-man squad, there is a strong likelihood of a third spinner being picked. Piyush Chawla is the leading candidate, especially after the shoulder injury Pragyan Ojha suffered while fielding in the Cuttack game against England.
Probable squadVirender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, M Vijay/S Badrinath, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt, wk), Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Amit Mishra, Munaf Patel, RP Singh.
Yuvraj, who last played a Test against South Africa in Kanpur in April, virtually sealed his berth after his imperious form in the truncated ODI series against England recently. He ended as the top run-maker with two spectacular centuries. With his explosive batting Yuvraj silenced the critics who had been harping about his lean form at the beginning of the season: in the three Challenger Trophy games he had single-digit scores. Later he failed to inspire Punjab in the solitary Ranji match he played before the England series. But the selectors, including chairman Kris Srikkanth, recently made positive comments about Yuvraj being the best man to fill Ganguly's middle-order slot.
What remains to be seen is if the selectors will retain M Vijay, who was plucked out of a Ranji game to fill in for Gambhir in the Nagpur Test against Australia. The selectors face a hard choice between Vijay and S Badrinath, who was part of the squad against Australia. Though Badrinath has been seen as the frontrunner in the past to play in the middle order, Vijay seems to have overtaken him in the selectors' eyes with his batting as well as his agility as a close-in fielder.
The chances of any fresh face(s) being picked in the middle order remain slim, but the possibility of names like Cheteshwar Pujara and Rohit Sharma cannot be ruled out. Rohit was part of the Test squad in Sri Lanka while Pujara recently piled three triple centuries for Saurasthra - one in the Ranji Trophy and two in an Under-22 tournament. It would have helped the duo if the ECB had not scrapped England's lone practice game.
The bowling unit is likely to be retained, with Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma sharing the new ball and Harbhajan Singh and Amit Mishra being the two specialist spinners. Munaf Patel will continue to be the third seamer, but the fate of his partner, RP Singh, is not so clear. There were reported difference between Dhoni and the selection panel over RP's selection ahead of the ODI series against England and it boiled over into a controversy after a selector leaked it to a member of the press.
If the selectors opt for a 15-man squad, there is a strong likelihood of a third spinner being picked. Piyush Chawla is the leading candidate, especially after the shoulder injury Pragyan Ojha suffered while fielding in the Cuttack game against England.
Probable squadVirender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, M Vijay/S Badrinath, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt, wk), Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Amit Mishra, Munaf Patel, RP Singh.
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