Batsman in for Bangla tri-series while pacer included in squad for 5th ODI too.
One was at home celebrating Christmas with family and friends and the other was getting ready to sleep on his cozy hotel bed in chilly Rohtak (Haryana). One is a bowler and the other a willow-wielder but the emotions that Shanthakumaran Sreesanth and Rohit Gurunath Sharma went through on Friday evening were more than similar. “Relief” was what either of them uttered first up when DNA contacted them after the national selection committee named them in the squad for the tri-series in Bangladesh beginning
next month.
Meanwhile, Sachin Tendulkar has opted out of the Bangladesh series.
While Sreesanth is happy the bug’s (read swine flu) off him, Rohit is elated at the prospect of representing India in an ODI after over five months. “I am fit and fine and flying to Delhi tomorrow,” Sreesanth said after a “long and eventful day” in Kochi. “I went to church and had a good meal. All these days I was eating fluids and light food. I am looking forward to play the fifth ODI and then in Bangladesh. It’s great that we have wrapped up the series,” added the 26-year-old, who last played a 50-over game in Australia 22 long months ago.
Sreesanth said he played a couple of games for a local club after he was released from a Chandigarh hospital two weeks back. “I played two 45-over games and bowled 13 and 15 overs respectively. I believe I did well.”
Meanwhile, Rohit, who is currently playing for Mumbai in the Ranji quarterfinal, recalled the “frustrating times”. “It was horrible,” he said, before adding “but it feels good now.
This is a great New Year gift… I used to watch my Team India play and I used to wonder why I wasn’t there.”
He added: “I was desperate to get back. Yuvi (Yuvraj Singh) helped me a lot during those times. He said he faced something similar during the early part of his career and told me not to lose heart. Yuvi is a good friend and he reminded me that every cricketer gets dropped. I worked hard and the 300 (in a recent Ranji Trophy game against Gujarat) probably did the trick,” Rohit said.
Squad for 5th ODI: MS Dhoni (capt), S Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Sudeep Tyagi, Dinesh Karthik, S Sreesanth, Ashok Dinda and Pragyan Ojha.
For Bangladesh
TRI-SERIES: MS Dhoni (capt), Virender Sehwag (vice-captain), Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Yuvraj Singh, Sudeep Tyagi, Dinesh Karthik, S Sreesanth, Ashok Dinda and Amit Mishra
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}