Paving the way for off-spinner Harbhajan Singh'scomeback to international cricket action after a six-month injury lay-off,national selectors named the bowler among 20 probables for the Asia Cuptournament in Sri Lanka next month.
The selectors, who had earlier named 24 players for afitness camp, pruned the list excluding Test opener Aakash Chopra, leg spinnerSairaj Bahutule, Delhi opener Gautam Gambhir and fast bowler Munaf Patel.
Also making it to the probables' list was left-armpaceman Zaheer Khan who had to pull out of the Pakistan tour due to a hamstringinjury, and Rohan Gavaskar who had missed the trip to the neighbouring countryafter making his debut in Australia early this year.
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Announcing the list, Board secretary S.K. Nair said the20 shortlisted players would assemble in Chennai for a training camp from July 3to 8.
"The team for the Asia Cup would be named on July7," he added.
Probables: Saurav Ganguly, Virender Sehwag,Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, V.V.S. Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammed Kaif,Parthiv Patel, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Murali Kartik, Ramesh Powar, HemangBadani, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Ajit Agarkar, Irfan Pathan, L. Balaji, AmitBhandari and Rohan Gavaskar.
Nair also named eight speedsters as "support" for the probables at theChennai camp. These bowlers, who had also undergone a special camp for pacersearlier this month, are Munaf Patel, Avishkar Salvi, S.S. Paul, SiddharthTrivedi, Sreesanth, Joginder Sharma, N.C. Aiyappa and Gagandeep Singh.
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The Asia Cup, the first match of which begins inColombo on July 16, features six nations including powerhouses Pakistan and SriLanka.
Nair said fitness trainer Gregory Allen King, who hadconducted the week-long fitness camp which concluded in Bangalore yesterday, haddeclared that all the probables were fit.
"All the probables are fit as reported by trainerGregory Allen King," he said.
The BCCI secretary also said that an India 'A' teamwould tour Zimbabwe and Kenya in the next two months.
The 'A' team would play three four-day games againstZimbabwe next month before proceeding in August to Nairobi, where they wouldtake part in a tri-nation tournament involving Pakistan 'A' and Kenya.
PTI
