Ajinkya Rahane has been appointed captain of the Indian team while MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli have been rested f... Read More

NEW DELHI: In an attempt to provide much-needed rest to senior players of the Indian team, the BCCI announced an expected second-string squad for the short tour to Zimbabwe beginning July 10. BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur and chairman of selectors Sandeep Patil, on Monday, revealed that the board has entrusted their faith in Ajinkya Rahane to lead the 15-member squad in Zimbabwe, providing time off to high-profile senior players such as MS Dhoni , Virat Kohli , Shikhar Dhawan, Ravichandran Ashwin, Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina.

The players to have made the cut include Murali Vijay, Manoj Tiwary, Kedar Jadhav, Robin Uthappa, Manish Pandey, Karn Sharma and Sandeep Sharma. The BCCI has also included offspinner Harbhajan Singh . Harbhajan, who played the one-off Test against Bangladesh at Fatullah, last played an ODI for India against West Indies in 2011. Top-order batsman Robin Uthappa has also earned a recall, whereas allrounder Ravindra Jadeja has been left out.

It was also announced that Cheteshwar Pujara will take charge of the India A side which will play a tri-series against Australia A and South Africa A in Chennai and Wayanad from July 19. It will be Rahul Dravid's first assignment as coach of the India A side, which will boast of experienced domestic talents such as KL Rahul, Naman Ojha, Pragyan Ojha, Shreyas Iyer, Amit Mishra and others.

The Indian side will play three ODIs and two T20s during a 15-day tour. BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur, expressing his confidence on the young side, asserted that the side was picked keeping in mind the need to prepare a team for the future. "I believe it's a very young side, one that is capable of going all the way," Thakur said. "If we have to select a team for the future, we are required to show our faith in the younger crop of players. I firmly believe that the team chosen by the BCCI is very talented and will prove their worth."

Patil echoed Thakur's take on the team selection and added that the squad selection is partly based keeping in mind the World T20 taking place in India in February-March next year. "Since many people were of the opinion that the Indian team did not fare that well in Bangladesh, we (BCCI) also felt the same," Patil said. "It's not that we've made major changes, but we have to move forward. Considering the amount of international cricket the Indian team is slated to play, we have picked the side looking at the Twenty20 World Cup, which is going to be played early next year."

"I had made it clear in the previous press conference; we five selectors represent each and every player who plays under the banner of BCCI. And those who perform consistently; in fact even those who might not, but according to us has the talent, we consider them for selection."

It was only last week that Rahane's ability to thrive as a batsman was doubted by Dhoni, but Patil asserted that the BCCI is satisfied with the Mumbai batsman's maturity and plans on keeping a keen eye on other angles related to him. "We want him [Rahane] to do well. We are happy with the way his career is shaping. He has been one of the most consistent players for us in the last year and that's why we want to try him out in a different role now", Patil said on Rahane.

On Harbhajan's selection, Patil cleared the air saying his inclusion is an indication that there is still room for ousted senior players to stage a comeback. "We cannot say that his [Harbhajan's] selection is on a long-term basis. Considering his performance in the previous series (Fatullah Test) and the IPL, we feel he deserves an opportunity on this tour as well."

Patil unveiled Team Director Ravi Shastri will not be touring with the team to Zimbabwe. The board also gave no clarity on the proposed Pakistan tour in December later this year and said that it will be decided in a meeting next month. "Ravi Shastri has some prior commitments due to which he will not be travelling with the side to Zimbabwe. The Cricket Advisory of India is short listing names and the BCCI will meet once again in July to take a call on India's coach and to further decide the fate of the Pakistan tour," Patil added.

Squad for the Zimbabwe tour: Ajinkya Rahane (capt), Murali Vijay, Ambati Rayudu, Kedar Jadhav, Manish Pandey, Harbhajan Singh, Karn Sharma, Axar Patel, Dhawal Kulkarni, Mohit Sharma, Sandeep Sharma, Stuart Binny, Robin Uthappa

India A squad: Cheteshwar Pujara (capt), KL Rahul, Abhinav Mukund, Karun Nair, Shreyas Iyer, Naman Ojha, Vijay Shanker, Amit Mishra, Pragyan Ojha, Shardul Thakur, Varun Aaron, Abhimanyu Mithun, Umesh Yadav, Shreyas Gopal, Baba Aparajith.

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