Focus on Pak tour as Challenger Trophy begins

AHMEDABAD: The premier domestic one-day cricket tournament, NKP Salve Challenger Trophy, begins at Motera on with the spotlight on fringe players who get another chance to impress selectors before announcement of Indian squad for home-series against Pakistan.

Virender Sehwag, the captain of India Blue team who has found it difficult to regain his form with the willow, will be prominent among those watched keenly by the national panel of selectors during this three-day day-and-night event.

Sehwag was last seen in action in ODIs when he opened for Asia XI in a game against Africa XI at Chennai in January 2007. Sehwag had scored just eight runs in the match.

Even in the recent Twenty20 match against Australia played in Mumbai, Sehwag just made five runs.

Sehwag's India Blue will clash with India Red, led by Mohammad Kaif, in the series opener on Thursday.

Kaif will also be looking to flourish with the bat during the series, which is expected to be witnessed by the selectors at the Sardar Patel Gujarat stadium.

The squad for the upcoming series against Pakistan will be announced on the sidelines of the Challenger Trophy tournament.

Kaif has been out of the Indian one-day squad since November 29, 2006, when he made just 10 runs in a ODI match against South Africa at Port Elizabeth.

Other India Red players including left-handed opener Gautam Gambhir, S Badrinath and pacer Ishant Sharma, who recently represented India, will try to cement their places in the national side.

Looking to impress the selectors, will be young Suresh Raina (India Blue) who last played an ODI in a home-series against the West Indies in January 27, 2007.

Other players from the India Blue team including wicket-keeper batsman Dinesh Karthick, allrounder Joginder Sharma, spinner Romesh Pawar and Bengal paceman Ranadeb Bose will also be trying to put up impressive performances.

The third team in the tournament, India Green, led by wicketkeeper batsman Parthiv Patel will play their first match on October 26.

The performances of promising youngsters in this squad like opener Cheteshwar Pujara, Rohit Sharma, Manoj Tiwary, Abhishek Nayar, Iqbal Abdullah will be also be watched keenly.

India Green pacer Munaf Patel who was overlooked for the recent series against Austrlia at home will also try and prove his worth with the leather.

Munaf who last played an ODI against England in August, will also be looking to silence his critics who recently questioned his fitness and attitude towards the game.

Squads for Thursday's game (India Red Vs India Blue):

India Red: Mohammed Kaif (Capt), Gautam Gambhir, S Badrinath, Karan Goel, Virat Kohili, Ravnit Rikki, Praveen Kumar, Mahesh Rawat (wk), Praghan Ojha, Siddarth Trivedi, Ishant Sharma, Pinal Shah, Srikant Munde, Paresh Patel.

India Blue: Virender Sehwag, Ajinkya Rahane, Dinesh Karthick, Swapnil Asanodkar, Niraj Patel, Arjun Yadav, Joginder Sharma, Ramesh Powar, Amit Mishra, Yo Mahes, Ranadeb Bose, Suresh Raina, Rakesh Dhruv, Sourav Bandekar.