NEW DELHI, June 29 :Senior players like captain M.S. Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Umesh Yadav and R. Ashwin were rested.
Veteran off-spinner Harbhajan Singh staged a comeback to the ODI squad after a gap of four years as a second-string team was on Monday named for next month’s tour of Zimbabwe with the selectors opting to rest most of the senior players.
Batsman Robin Uthappa also made a return to the ODI side, while paceman Sandeep Sharma and leg-spinner Karn Sharma were included in the team to be captained by Ajinkya Rahane.
Opener Murali Vijay, Ambati Rayudu and Bhuvneshwar Kumar were among the senior players picked in the squad announced by BCCI Secretary Anurag Thakur after the selection committee meeting here.
Manoj Tiwary, who had been struggling with injuries for a some time, has been recalled into the side largely benefitting from the absence of the senior players.
“The Indian team did not do well in Bangladesh, we felt the same. (But) we have to move forward and considering the domestic cricket to be played, we have picked this side, looking at the 2016 T20 World Cup,” Chairman of selectors Sandeep Patil told reporters.
“We had picked the best possible team that played at the World Cup and keeping the future series in mind, whether it is Sri Lanka, or South Africa home series, Twenty20 World Cup or the Australia series, we have decided to rest a few players, who need urgent rest,” he said.
India had stunningly lost 1-2 to Bangladesh in the short series earlier this month. |
