Tamil Nadu wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik was the surprise inclusion in the 14-member Indian squad for upcoming ICC Champions Trophy for which the national selectors dropped wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel andpacer Zaheer Khan.
The selectors recalled all-rounder Ajit Agarkar in place of an unfit Zaheer and also included Rohan Gavaskar as the 15th member for the Holland tri-series and the three-match Natwest Challenge in England, scheduled to be held beforethe Champions Trophy.
The squad, minus Gavaskar, would be fielded in the Champions Trophy to be played in England from September 10to 25, since as per the rules of the tournament only 14 players could be allowed in the squad, Boardsecretary S.K. Nair told reporters in Kolkata.
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Squad: Saurav Ganguly (capt), Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar,V.V.S. Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Irfan Pathan, Rohan Gavaskar, Ashish Nehra, LakshmipathyBalaji, Dinesh Karthik, Ajit Agarkar, Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble.
The national selection committee which met during the day under the chairmanship of Syed Kirmani, announced theteam after a marathon three-hour meeting in which skipper Ganguly and coach John Wright were also present.
Nair said Zaheer had to be dropped because a report from team physio Andrew Leipus said he was not yet fully fit and"required rest and rehabilitation".
For the specialist wicketkeeper's place, the selectors also considered the name of Bihar's Mahendra Singh Dhoni. ButKarthik finally received the nod, he said.
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Nair said the team would leave on August 17 for Holland where the tri-series, featuring Australia and Pakistan as theother two teams, will be held from August 21 to 28.
The three-match Natwest Challenge against hosts England would be held from September 1 to 5.
Nair said names of seasoned batsmen Hemang Badani and Dinesh Mongia had also come up during the deliberations.
While Badani, now doing duty for the India 'A' side in Zimbabwe, was left out due to his ankle problem, the selectorsfelt that Mongia did not merit an entry into the 14-member squad for the Champions Trophy and fell behindGavaskar for the Holland tri-series.
Nair also said no camps would be held for the forthcoming engagements.
The BCCI official refused to answer a query on whether the selection committee chairman Kirmani's criticism of Ganguly's captaincy came up in the course of the meeting.
"It's nothing connected with the selection process," he said.
The 19-year-old uncapped Karthik, rewarded for his consistent performance at the domestic level, is currently doing duty for India 'A' in Zimbabwe. Karthik shot into prominence during the Under-19 World Cupin Bangladesh last year with his performance with the gloves as well as the bat.
The Tamil Nadu player, who scored two centuries in the semi-final and final of the Ranji Trophy last season, enjoysan impressive average of 45.70 for his 777 runs in 13 first-class matches.
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PTI
