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| August 10, 2006 | Thursday | Rajab 14, 1427 |
Ganguly surprise inclusion in 30-man squad
BANGALORE, Aug 9: Former India captain Saurav Ganguly was surprisingly recalled on Wednesday, named in the provisional 30-player squad for the ICC Champions Trophy to be played at home in October-November.
The 34-year-old batsman was sacked as captain and one-day player last October and then discarded from the Tests after the series defeat in Pakistan early this year.
Although a selector hinted at a return for Ganguly, his chances appeared slim after his recent poor run with English county Northamptonshire.
Chief selector Kiran More defended the inclusion of Ganguly, one of only four batsmen to score 10,000 one-day runs.
“We have 30 players here and he is one of the good cricketers we have,” he told reporters. “He definitely fits into the 30, there is no question about it.”
The selectors also recalled leg-spinner Anil Kumble and pace bowler Zaheer Khan.
Kumble, 35, India's most successful Test and one-day bowler, had rarely been picked for limited overs cricket since the last World Cup, but his rich experience could prove crucial in the run-up to the World Cup in the West Indies in March-April.
Left-arm Zaheer was discarded after the Pakistan tour over poor form, fitness and attitude, but is back in the frame after his consistent showing for English county Worcestershire.
The list also includes three uncapped batsmen, 19-year-old Mumbai player Rohit Sharma, Subramaniam Badrinath and Tejinderpal Singh.
The list, which includes all the players chosen for next week's one-day tri-series in Sri Lanka, would be pruned to 14 by Sept 7.
Squad: Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Mahendra Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Ajit Agarkar, Irfan Pathan, Shantakumaran Sreesanth, Munaf Patel, Harbhajan Singh, Ramesh Powar, Dinesh Mongia, Rudra Pratap Singh, Anil Kumble, Zaheer Khan, Dinesh Karthik, Piyush Chawla, Vangipurappu Laxman, Saurav Ganguly, Venugopal Rao, Robin Uthappa, Gautam Gambhir, Rohit Sharma, Subramaniam Badrinath, T.P. Singh, Parthiv Patel, Shib Shankar Paul, Vikram Rajvir Singh.—Reuters
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