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Ishant, Munaf picked for final Test; Sachin ruled out

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India will be without Sachin Tendulkar for the third and final Test Match at Kanpur as well with a groin injury. It is a big blow for India as they are desperate to save their home series having been forced to draw the first test and losing the second by a humiliating margin. However, the Selectors headed by Dilip Vengsarkar didn’t make any drastic changes to the squad. The only player to be dropped was RP Singh, who didn’t look himself in the two Test matches.

The Indian Selectors have added Ishant Sharma in the side. The latest sensation had sat out of the first two Tests as he was recovering from a toe and finger injury. The surprise selection was that of picking both Munaf Patel and Ramesh Powar. Munaf is most likely to play the third Test sharing the new ball with Sreesanth in case Ishant isn’t fit enough to play. On the other hand, Ramesh Powar has been selected as cover for Captain Anil Kumble, who has been carrying a groin injury.

The fitness test for both Kumble and Ishant will be on the 10th according to the BCCI. The presently selected squad of 16 will be cropped to 14 after the fitness test. The other players likely to be dropped from the final XI could be Opener Wasim Jaffer and Irfan Pathan. Known for being batsman-friendly over the years, the Green Park wicket at Kanpur might turn out to be a square turner because of the desperate situation of the home side. The final Test starts from the 11th and once it is done and dusted, there will be a different kind of cricket starting in the form of the much hyped – Indian Premier League.

India Squad for the third Test : Anil Kumble (Captain), Wasim Jaffer, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Wicket Keeper), Yuvraj Singh, Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Sreesanth, Piyush Chawla, Mohammad Kaif, Ramesh Powar, Ishant Sharma and Munaf Patel