India has made as many as six changes to its
ODI squad that is scheduled to play a 4-ODI Series in West
Indies starting this month. Four of the players who were part
of the ODI Squad in New Zealand are out of action with
injuries. The injured players include master batsman Sachin
Tendulkar. The Selection Committee has made two notable
inclusions that of giving a maiden call for Mumbai's Abhishek
Nayar and a recall for left arm swing bowler Aashish Nehra.
The Selectors have gone in for a 16-man
squad led by Captain and Wicket Keeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Dinesh Karthik provides the cushion for the fatigued Skipper
by coming in
as the reserve wicket keeper. Out of the team
with injuries are Sachin Tendulkar (with a finger injury),
Zaheer Khan and Virender Sehwag (both sustaining shoulder
injuries during the IPL) along with Suresh Raina (a hairline
fracture in his thumb). The Selectors have given the axe to
medium pacers Munaf Patel and Irfan Pathan.
Making their way into the squad are
Chennai's stylish opener Murali Vijay, middle order batsman
S.Badrinath, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, Mumbai's hard
hitting left hander Abishek Nayar, left arm fast bowler RP
Singh along with Delhi's Ashish Nehra who last played for
India in 2005! Its an unusually short tour this time for the
Indians with just four ODIs and no Test Matches at all. The
last time they toured the West Indies, the ODI Series was a
disappointment for them but they could clinch a historic win
in the Test Series. The four ODI Series begins from the 26th
of this month. This is the first cricketing action for Team
India after the debacle in the ongoing T20 World Cup in
England.
