Internet Desk: The national selection committee on Wednesday picked the 15 member squad for the first two tests against England in Mumbai. The biggest surprise in the squad is the inclusion of Hardik Pandya who has been picked as an all-rounder. According to selection committee chairman MSK Prasad,”We all have been trying to find an all-rounder after Kapil Dev. In case we play three spinners, he can be the second seamer and also can bat.”
The selection committee chaired by MSK Prasad fielded maximum queries regarding Pandya’s inclusion and he stated that his “all-round abilities” with a sea change in attitude after working under India A coach Rahul Dravid went in his favour.
“If you look at Hardik Pandya, his pace has increased.
His overall personality has mellowed down. He did extremely well in the ODI series and also during the A tour Down Under,” Prasad told the mediapersons.
Prasad admitted that Pandya is one of the few seamer all-rounders that India has at the moment.
“We all have been trying to find an all-rounder after Kapil Dev. In case we play three spinners, he can be the second seamer and also can bat,” Prasad reasoned.
Asked about Pandya’s attitude, Prasad said: “We all know he is a bit hyper. But he has worked hard under Rahul Dravid and under chief coach Anil Kumble.”
“Rahul Dravid has worked hard on Pandya’s mental strength during the India ‘A’ tours. Now Anil Kumble is also doing the same. He is a genuine all-rounder.”
Opener Gautam Gambhir retained his place in the team. The left hander was part of the playing eleven in the third test against New Zealand in Indore. The notable omission in the team is Rohit Sharma, who had a thigh strain. Openers Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul are yet to recover from injuries. Dhawan has just started his rehab.
Rohit sustained an injury while playing in the ODI series against New Zealand. He will be travelling to England for treatment. According to sources, Rohit may undergo an operation which might take him longer to make a return to India team.
Gautam Gambhir is likely to open the innings with Murali Vijay. Asked about the inclusion of Gambhir, Prasad said, “We would have given Gambhir another chance even if we had regular openers in the side. His contribution to Indian cricket is huge.”
About Karun, who was included as a standby in the final Test at Indore, Prasad said: “We have been grooming him (Karun Nair) for the last one or two years.”
Bhuvneshwar Kumar, though available for the selection was not considered. According to MSK Prasad, “Bhuvneshwar was available for selection as he passed a fitness test at NCA. But we were not sure about his match fitness. Ishant Sharma proved his match fitness by playing the recent Ranji matches for Delhi. Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul will have to prove their match fitness before being considered for selection.”
The squad has three openers with Gambhir, Vijay and Karun Nair. The middle order looks settled with Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteswar Pujara, Ravindra Jadeja, Wriddhiman Saha. The spin department will be headed by Ravichandran Ashwin . Amit Mishra and Jayant Yadav will be the other spinners in the side. The fast bowlers are Ishant Sharma, Md Shami , Umesh Yadav and Hardik Pandya.
Indian Team for first two tests:
Virat Kohli, Gautam Gambhir, Murali Vijay, Cheteswar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja, Wriddhiman Saha, Ravichandran Ashwin, Karun Nair, Hardik Pandya, Md Shami, Umesh Yadav, Jayant Yadav, Ishant Sharma and Amit Mishra