A deal may have helped Ganguly

PUNE: If Zaheer Khan is flummoxed at not finding a place in the Test squad announced in Chennai on Wednesday, it has everything to do with former India skipper Sourav Ganguly finding a place.

When the selectors sat down to choose the 15 who’ll take on Sri Lanka in three Tests, they wanted to pick seven batsmen, seven bowlers, and a wicket-keeper.

The kind of form the Indian batting line-up has been in during the ODI series against Lanka, coupled with the fact that VVS Laxman has a 50-plus average in his last 20 Tests, made it difficult for Ganguly to be accommodated as a batsman.

That’s when East Zone selector Pranab Roy played a master stroke. He suggested that Ganguly be accommodated as an all-rounder. That meant one of the seven bowler slots would be taken by the former skipper.

It is learnt that while chairman of selectors Kiran More and South Zone selector VB Chandrasekhar wanted the in-form Khan, Roy garnered support for Ganguly from Central Zone selector Gopal Sharma and North Zone selector Yashpal Sharma.

They apparently worked it out thus: Roy, says a source declining to be named, would support the Sharmas in getting Uttar Pradesh bowler RP Singh included in the squad in return for them backing Ganguly over Zaheer Khan or S Sreesanth.