da dobrowin： Indian selectors announced a squad that contained uncapped medium pacers Tinu Yohannan, Sanjay Bangar and Iqbal Siddiqui as well as controversial all rounder Virender Sehwag who has been banned for one Test.The full squad is Sourav Ganguly (capt),
Anand Vasu28-Nov-2001
Tinu Yohannan
© CricInfoWhen the going gets tough, the tough are supposed to get going. In SouthAfrica, where things were tough for the Indian team, the medium-pacersfailed to get going in conditions that assisted their trade. Inresponse, the national selectors have sent the whole lot of mediumpacers packing, while announcing the squad for the first Test againstEngland. While Venkatesh Prasad and Javagal Srinath were spared theignominy of being dropped since they were already injured, the trio ofZaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra and Ajit Agarkar were axed. Taking theirplaces are the uncapped, unsung yet talented Tinu Yohannan, IqbalSiddiqui and Sanjay Bangar.”The performance of the medium-pacers in South Africa was notsatisfactory,” said Chandu Borde, chairman of selectors, in explainingwhy the committee had opted for such drastic changes in the medium-pacedepartment. “We though this was the right time to give these guys(Yohannan, Siddiqui, Bangar) a break,” he added.When asked about the inexperience of these cricketers, Borde countered,”We can’t always go by the number of wickets someone takes. We feelthese boys have talent and deserve a chance.”Siddiqui, who made his first-class debut way back in 1992, has a fairlyundistinguished first-class record, claiming 236 wickets in 69 matchesat an average of 30.58. A well-built, energetic sort of character,Siddiqui has been in and out of the reckoning without ever making thegrade until now.Yohannan is the greenhorn of the lot, with just eight first-classmatches to his credit. However, his ability to generate a bit of extrapace and slip in a well-aimed yorker make him a tough customer tohandle.
Sanjay Bangar
© CricInfoRailways all-rounder Bangar is perhaps the most deserving of the threenew faces in the side. Having bowled his heart out on Indian tracks for84 first-class wickets at an average of 37.80 , Bangar also makes a morethan useful contribution with the bat. Opening the innings in the longerversion of the game, Bangar’s 3,112 runs include 5 tons and has come at anaverage of 35.77. His ability to move the ball both ways while stillmaintaining a good line and length makes him a very useful player tohave in any condition.The rest of the Indian team retains itself. Connor Williams, by virtueof his showing in the unofficial ‘Test’ against South Africa clings onto his spot as Shiv Sunder Das’ opening partner. The middle-order whichboasts some of the brightest talents in the game – Sachin Tendulkar,Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly – escapes all manner ofselectoral censure. Deep Dasgupta will continue to don the gloves.
Sarandeep Singh
© CricInfoThe most interesting thing to note in the forthcoming tour however wouldbe the composition of India’s spin attack. Harbhajan Singh and AnilKumble will do the bulk of the bowling, with Sarandeep Singh waiting onthe sidelines to be called up if needed. Virender Sehwag, who isunlikely to play given the recent controversy over his suspension,completes the fourteen.The press conference announcing the team was marred by needlesscontroversy as the British journalists badgered both Borde and NiranjanShah, BCCI secretary about the selection of Sehwag in the fourteen. However Borde pointed out that the job of the selectors was to pick the side purely on cricketing merit and nothing else. It will now be left to the BCCI top management to decide the final XI that will be take the field on next Monday.India’s 14 for first Test:Sourav Ganguly (capt), Rahul Dravid, Shiv Sundar Das, Connor Williams, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Virender Sehwag, Deep Dasgupta, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Sarandeep Singh, Sanjay Bangar, Iqbal Siddiqui, Tinu Yohannan.