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February 03, 2007

Virender Sehwag has been brought back by the Selectors for the first two ODIs against Sri Lanka. Along with Sehwag, Munaf Patel has also been brought back into a squad of 15 which could well be the one that would be picked for the World Cup with a change or two.

The Selection Committee had kept their faith in Irfan Pathan, who had a mediocre outing in the only match he had played against West Indies. Gautam Gambhir, Suresh Raina and Ramesh Powar have been left out of the team.

Sehwag's selection was expected although he was dropped for the Windies Series on account of his poor form. Sehwag didn't get to play any domestic game while he was out of the team, but he is considered as a vital part of the Indian team due to his match winning efforts in his international career. There are indications that he will be batting in the middle order with the opening slots almost booked by Sourav Ganguly and Robin Uthappa. The Board was clearly unhappy with the way Munaf Patel had applied himself on the South African tour. But because his strength these days has been in bowling a nagging line and length, Munaf has got back in the team.

The Selection meeting which was held at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai was also attended by Rahul Dravid and Coach Greg Chappell. South Zone Selector, Venkatapathy Raju didn't turn up due to his father's death on Thursday. The first ODI is on the 8th at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

Indian Squad for the first two ODIs against Sri Lanka : Rahul Dravid (Captain), Sachin Tendulkar (Vice-Captain), Virender Sehwag, Sourav Ganguly, Robin Uthappa, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Wicket Keeper), Dinesh Karthik (Wicket Keeper), Ajit Agarkar, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Sreesanth, Anil Kumble, Irfan Pathan, Munaf Patel

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