India vs Pakistan ODI series 2007 is now going to see a tremendous end with two matches left at hand. After the ODI series, the two arch rivals will face each other in a three match test series. Indian selectors have named 14-member test squad for first two tests. There is no surprise in the squad. Harbhajan Singh and Murali Kartik have come back to the test side after a long time. Gautam Gambhir, Irfan Pathan and Virender Sehwag failed to impress the selectors to secure their place in the test squad.
With this test series, India is going to play for the first time under their new captain Anil Kumble. The test series will kick off from 22 November at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium in Delhi. With Anil Kimble, the squad includes three spinners and three pacers. Indian wickets are always helpful for the spinners. So, obviously India will make spinning track to get the best out of the condition.
It is nice that the selectors have included two in form spinners- Harbhajan Singh and Murali Kartik- along with veteran Anil Kimble. However, it is not sure yet if India will play three spinners together. For batting, selectors still rely on Wasim Jaffer and Dinesh Karthik in the opening stand. It seems that Yuvraj Singh has to struggle to make it to the first eleven. I think, Irfan Pathan should have been included in the squad because of his skill of delivering effective swing balls in both sides.
India’s 14-member squad for the first two tests:
1 Dinesh Karthik, 2 Wasim Jaffer, 3 Rahul Dravid, 4 Sachin Tendulkar, 5 Sourav Ganguly, 6 VVS Laxman, 7 Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk), 8 Anil Kumble (capt), 9 Harbhajan Singh, 10 Zaheer Khan, 11 Sreesanth, 12 Yuvraj Singh, 13 RP Singh, 14 Murali Kartik.
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I think, it is a big mistake of the Indian selectors not to include Virender Sehwag in the squad. He always played well against Pakistan. So, he should have been included in the squad. Moreover, I agree with you that Irfan Pathan deserves a place in test side. However, I think, the bowlers will make the difference in the series. Spinners will have a great role to play for both teams.
Posted by: Biplob Kishore Deb | November 14, 2007 10:53 AM | Permalink to Comment