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BCCI selects 3 squads for NZ matches

Written By D Ram Raj | Updated:

The BCCI selected three different 16-member squads to feature in the T20, ODI and Test matches to be played in New Zealand later this month.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selected three different 16-member squads to feature in the T20, ODI and Test matches to be played in New Zealand later this month.

The five-member selection committee comprising chairman Krish Srikkanth (South), Surendra Bhave (West), Narendra Hirwani (Central), Raja Venkat (East) and Yashpal Sharma (North) deliberated for over two hours with skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni before finalising the squads.

“The T20 team will leave Mumbai on February 18/19. The replacement players would leave later,” BCCI secretary N Srinivasan said.

Dhoni will have Delhi’s dashing opener Virender Sehwag as his deputy in all the three versions of the game. The Pathan brothers, Yusuf and Irfan, figure in the T20 and ODI teams, but will return to India after the ODIs.

Considering the nature of the pitches and the weather in New Zealand, where seamers are expected to get help, the selectors have reinforced the pace attack by including Dhawal Kulkarni in the Test team. The Mumbai pacer has been rewarded for his consistency in the domestic season. He was the highest wicket-taker (42) in the Ranji Trophy. Kulkarni will join the pace battery consisting of Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Munaf Patel and Laxmipathy Balaji.

Balaji, who has also had a reasonably good season, gets an opportunity to seal his place in the national team.

The Tamil Nadu pacer, however, does not feature in the T20 and ODI squads. As expected, Dinesh Karthik has been selected as the second wicketkeeper for the entire series. Saurashtra’s Ravindra Jadeja will go to New Zealand for the two T20 matches. Sachin Tendulkar will replace him in the ODIs.

The ODI squad, however, will see six players — Yusuf Pathan, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Irfan Pathan, Pragyan Ohja and Praveen Kumar — making way for Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, M Vijay, Amit Mishra, L Balaji and  Kulkarni in the Test team.
There was no explanation for any of the selections. Srikkanth expressed helplessness. “I’m willing to talk a lot, but unfortunately I can’t do so. Please get the permission from BCCI, please understand dear,” the chairman of the selectors said as reporters approached him.