India announce squad for first Test against South Africa by CricketArchive Staff Reporter

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Player:	A Mithun
Event:	South Africa in India 2009/10

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DateLine: 28th January 2010

 

The Indian selectors infused fresh blood into its Test squad by naming Karnataka pacer Abhimanyu Mithun and Bengal wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha for the first Test against South Africa beginning in Nagpur on February 6.

 

With Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Singh ruled out of the series because of injuries, the selectors recalled Tamil Nadu middle-order batsman S Badrinath in the team and dropped wicketkeeper batsman Dinesh Karthik.

 

Dravid, who sustained a face injury in the second Test against Bangladesh, has been advised rest for three weeks while Yuvraj Singh has also been ruled out of the Test series due to an injury to his left wrist. VVS Laxman, who had also suffered a finger injury during the Test series against Bangladesh, has recovered sufficiently to be drafted into the squad.

 

The 15-member squad has six specialist batsman, three spinners and four pacemen and two wicketkeepers in captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Saha. While Harbhajan Singh will spearhead the spin department, left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha and leg-spinner Amit Mishra will play the supporting role.

 

The pace department will be lead by Zaheer Khan with Ishant Sharma, Mithun and Tyagi being the other pacers.

 

The South Africans will play two Tests -- Nagpur (February 6-10) and Kolkata (February 14-18) -- and three One-dayers in Jaipur, Kanpur and Ahmedabad during their tour of India.

 

Indian Team for the First Test : Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Murali Vijay, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, S Badrinath, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (C), Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Amit Mishra, Sudeep Tyagi, Pragyan Ojha, Abhimanyu Mithun, Wriddhiman Saha.