Tamil Nadu wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik is the surprise inclusion in the 14-member Indian squad for upcoming ICC Champions Trophy, for which the national selectors dropped wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel and pacer Zaheer Khan.
The selectors recalled all-rounder Ajit Agarkar in place of an unfit Zaheer Khan and also included Rohan Gavaskar as the 15th member for the Holland tri-series and the three-match NatWest Challenge in England, scheduled to be held before the ICC Champions Trophy.
The squad, minus Rohan Gavaskar, would be fielded in the Champions Trophy, to be played in England from September 10 to 25, as the tournament rules state that only 14 players can be named in the team, Board of Control for Cricket in India secretary S K Nair told reporters in Kolkata on Thursday.
The selection committee, which met in Kolkata under the chairmanship of Syed Kirmani, announced the team after a marathon three-hour meeting, attended by skipper Sourav Ganguly and coach John Wright.
Nair said Zaheer had to be dropped because a report from team physio Andrew Leipus said he is not yet fully fit and "required rest and rehabilitation".
For the specialist wicketkeeper's place, the selectors also considered Bihar's Mahendra Singh Dhoni, but Karthik finally received the nod, he said.
He said the team will leave on August 17 for Holland, where the tri-series, featuring Australia and Pakistan as the other two teams, will be held from August 21 to 28.
he three-match NatWest Challenge against hosts England would be held from September 1 to 5.
Nair said names of seasoned batsmen Hemang Badani and Dinesh Mongia also came up during the deliberations.
While Badani, now doing duty for the India 'A' side in Zimbabwe, was left out due to his ankle problem, the selectors felt Mongia did not merit entry into the 14-member squad for the Champions Trophy and fell behind Rohan for the Holland tri-series.
Nair also said no camps would be held for the forthcoming engagements.
The BCCI official refused to answer a query on whether the selection committee chairman Kirmani's criticism of skipper Sourav Ganguly's captaincy came up in the course of the meeting.
"It's nothing connected with the selection process," he said.
The 19-year-old uncapped Karthik, rewarded for his consistent performance at the domestic level, is currently doing duty for India 'A' team in Zimbabwe.
Karthik shot to prominence during the Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh last year with a good showing with behind the stumps and bat as well.
The Tamil Nadu player, who scored centuries in the semi-final and final of the Ranji Trophy last season, enjoys an impressive average of 45.70 for his 777 runs in 13 first-class matches.
Meanwhile, Nair said the selection committee felt Zaheer is not hundred per cent fit and would be given "adequate time" to recover fully and attain match fitness.
Asked about the team management's decision to field the left-arm seamer in the final of the Asia Cup, he replied: "He was tested before the final and according to the report by the team physio he was fit. So he was allowed to play."
Admitting that the player has been facing recurring injury problems for some time now, he said, "All these are being taken care of by Leipus, who is monitoring the fitness level of the players on an ongoing basis. We hope that he [Zaheer] will be fit to play in future engagements after these two tournaments and the tri-series."
He said, as per a report from the team physio, all other players of the Asia Cup squad were fit to play international matches.
The team: Sourav Ganguly (captain), Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, V V S Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Irfan Pathan, Rohan Gavaskar, Ashish Nehra, Lakshmipathy Balaji, Dinesh Karthik, Ajit Agarkar, Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble.
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