SA tour: Rayudu makes maiden entry, Zaheer recalled
The Indian squads (Test and ODI) for the first cricket tour overseas – to South Africa – after Sachin Tendulkar’s retirement are an overwhelming endorsement for ‘Generation-Next’ to stride forward though the selectors, who met at Vadodara on Monday, did pick Zaheer Khan, in a sense a veteran now, for the Tests.
India will play three ODIs, a two-day warm-up game and two Tests in South Africa, starting with the limited-overs clash at Durban on December 5.
The tour, that triggered debate over the equations between the BCCI and Cricket South Africa, was scaled down from its earlier proposed frame-work of three Tests, seven ODIs and two Twenty20s.
Zaheer, the 35-year-old speedster, who last played for India in the Test against England at Kolkata during December 2012, has recovered well from his injuries as evident in his performances for India ‘A’ against the West Indies ‘A’ and in the Ranji Trophy outings for Mumbai.
In his latest game against Delhi, he had a five-for in the first innings and that included the scalp of Virender Sehwag.
On the bouncy pitches in South Africa, Zaheer will be needed both as a spearhead as well as a mentor to the likes of Mohammad Shami. Jayadev Unadkat and R. Vinay Kumar, who are part of the ODI squad in the current series against the West Indies, have been omitted while Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav are part of both the Test and ODI teams.
Meanwhile an out-of-form Sehwag (with recent scores of 1, 15, 9, 35 n.o., 3 and 6) and Gautam Gambhir, who is back amidst the runs (123 against the West Indies ‘A’ and a 153 against Haryana) continue to be overlooked.
Ahead of the 2007-08 tour of Australia, Sehwag, who was then in a similar predicament, was recalled thanks to the then skipper Anil Kumble’s insistence and the aggressive opener repaid his captain’s faith with a 151 at Adelaide.
==================================
