Batsman Virender Sehwag was handed his last chance to regain form ahead of the World Cup when he was recalled on Saturday for the one-day series against Sri Lanka.
MUMBAI: If Robin Uthappa, who has scored runs at an express pace at the top order, continues to impress, Virender Sehwag will have to play in the middle order — No.4, No.5 or even No.6 — during the World Cup.
While Sehwag looks well set to make the trip to the Caribbean, being the match-winner that he is on his day, chairman of selectors Dilip Vengsarkar stopped short of saying that Sehwag was on trial, but expressed hope that he will perform in the one-dayers against Sri Lanka.
Sehwag and Munaf Patel made a comeback into the Indian team and out went middle-order batsman Suresh Raina and off-spinner Ramesh Powar, when the squad for the first two one-dayers against Sri Lanka was announced on Saturday at the new Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) headquarters at the Wankhede Stadium.
BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah said team physio John Gloster has submitted an all-clear fitness report to the team management and the selectors on Munaf (ankle injury), who like Sehwag, was not picked for the ODI series against the West Indies.
Vengsarkar said the most important thing for Sehwag was to score runs, some thing that Uthappa has done in the two games he played against the West Indies. “We had decided to give him a break. Hopefully he will play well for India now,” Vengsarkar said of the opener who got the sack after the South Africa series. “His off-spin also gives us an extra bowling option.”
By accommodating Sehwag, the team management will look to strengthen the middle order in a batting line-up that will have Irfan Pathan batting at No.7. However, if Munaf does not impress in the first few games, Uttar Pradesh middle-order batsman Raina will come into the picture. The chairman of selectors said the 15 selected for the first two games could “probably” form the core of the team that will make the trip to the World Cup. Powar and opener Gautam Gambhir, who didn’t make it to the team for the first two one-dayers against Sri Lanka, are likely to be the fall guys.
The team for the World Cup will be announced in Mumbai on February 12 and the same 15 are to play the last two one-dayers against Sri Lanka.
Team: Rahul Dravid (capt), S Tendulkar (vice-capt), Virender Sehwag, Robin Uthappa, Yuvraj Singh, Sourav Ganguly, Dinesh Kaarthick, MS Dhoni, Irfan Pathan, Ajit Agarkar, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, S Sreesanth and Munaf Patel
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