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Ishant, Munaf
picked for final Test; Sachin ruled out |
India
will be without Sachin Tendulkar for the third
and final Test Match at Kanpur as well with a
groin injury. It is a big blow for India as they
are desperate to save their home series having
been forced to draw the first test and losing
the second by a humiliating margin. However, the
Selectors headed by
Dilip Vengsarkar
didn't make any drastic changes to the squad.
The only player to be dropped was RP Singh, who
didn't look himself in the two Test matches.
The Indian Selectors have added Ishant Sharma
in the side. The latest sensation had sat out of
the first two Tests as he was recovering from a
toe and finger injury. The surprise selection
was that of picking both Munaf Patel and Ramesh
Powar. Munaf is most likely to play the third
Test sharing the new ball with Sreesanth in case
Ishant isn't fit enough to play. On the other
hand, Ramesh Powar has been selected as cover
for Captain Anil Kumble, who has been carrying a
groin injury.
The fitness test for both Kumble and Ishant
will be on the 10th according to the BCCI. The
presently selected squad of 16 will be cropped
to 14 after the fitness test. The other players
likely to be dropped from the final XI could be
Opener Wasim Jaffer and Irfan Pathan. Known for
being batsman-friendly over the years, the Green
Park wicket at Kanpur might turn out to be a
square turner because of the desperate situation
of the home side. The final Test starts from the
11th and once it is done and dusted, there will
be a different kind of cricket starting in the
form of the much hyped - Indian Premier League.
India Squad for the
third Test :
Anil Kumble
(Captain), Wasim
Jaffer,
Virender Sehwag, Rahul
Dravid,
Sourav Ganguly,
VVS Laxman,
Mahendra Singh
Dhoni (Wicket Keeper),
Yuvraj Singh,
Irfan Pathan,
Harbhajan Singh,
Sreesanth,
Piyush Chawla,
Mohammad Kaif,
Ramesh Powar,
Ishant Sharma
and Munaf Patel
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