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Yusuf
and Ojha included for Tri-Series and Asia Cup |
 Hard
hitting all-rounder Yusuf Pathan and slow left
arm spinner Pragyan Ojha are the two new faces
in the Indian team for the upcoming Tri-Nation
Series in Bangladesh and the Asia Cup in
Pakistan. The Selectors have axed Dinesh Karthik
and Munaf Patel, who were part of the CB Series
in Australia that was won by India while there
hasn't been any comeback opportunity for either
Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly.
In the 15-man squad led by MS Dhoni for the
two tournaments, the two prominent names that
are obviously missing are that of Sachin
Tendulkar, who was ruled out with a groin injury
and Harbhajan Singh, who got banned for 5 ODIs.
Harbhajan Singh's place has gone to the young
left arm spinner from Hyderabad - Pragyan Ojha.
The 21-year-old Ojha made his first class debut
in 2006 and has gone onto represent South Zone
and India A. The youngster was lucky to make the
cut because of an ankle injury to the seasoned
Murali Karthik. Karthik had done exceptionally
well whenever he had an opportunity, especially
on the slow turning sub-continental tracks.
The man who has literally forced an inclusion
in the side is Yusuf Pathan, who probably could
be noted as the best Indian performer in the IPL.
His range of big shots, cool temperament under
pressure and his nagging off breaks make him a
dream One Day player for any team. Yusuf Pathan
was part of the victorious Indian Squad in the
inaugural Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa
where he didn't play a huge role. However, the
Baroda player, also the older brother of Irfan
Pathan had a tremendous run with the Rajasthan
Royals in the ongoing IPL.
India first play a very short Tri-Series in
Bangladesh which also includes arch-rivals
Pakistan. That tournament is from the 8th and is
followed up by 7-Nation Asia Cup which starts
from June 24th.
India Squad for BD Tri-Series and Asia Cup:
Mahendra Singh
Dhoni (Captain and Wicket Keeper),
Yuvraj Singh,
Suresh Raina,
Virender
Sehwag,
Gautam Gambhir,
Robin Uthappa,
Yusuf Pathan,
Irfan Pathan,
Piyush Chawla,
Rohit Sharma,
RP Singh,
Sreesanth, Pragyan
Ojha,
Praveen Kumar
and Ishant Sharma
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