Veterans Anil Kumble and Zaheer Khan were on Monday recalled to the under-performing Indian team for five one-day internationals in South Africa next month.
Leg-spinner Kumble (36) has not been considered for limited-overs cricket since August, 2005, despite being the most successful Indian bowler in both forms of the game with 533 Test and 329 one-day wickets.
Left-arm seamer Zaheer (28) was dumped after the tour of Pakistan in February and spent time honing his skills with English county Worcestershire.
Zaheer has claimed 155 wickets in 107 one-dayers and appeared fit and raring to go in domestic cricket this season.
Both Kumble and Zaheer were brought back a day after India were knocked out of the ongoing Champions Trophy at home following a six-wicket defeat at the hands of favourites Australia here.
New chairperson of selectors Dilip Vengsarkar refused to make wholesale changes even though Rahul Dravid’s men have lost eight of their last 10 one-day internationals.
Off-spinner Ramesh Powar was the only omission from the 14 that played in the Champions Trophy where India defeated England before losing their next two matches to the West Indies and Australia.
Test opener Wasim Jaffar, who has yet to play a one-dayer despite playing 14 Test matches, was the only surprise inclusion for the tour.
”We expect wickets in South Africa to be grassy and favouring fast bowlers, so it was decided to bring in an extra opener like Jaffar,” Vengsarkar told reporters here.
The team for the three Test matches to follow will be named later, he added.
Middle-order batsman Yuvraj Singh, who tore a ligament on his left knee last week, and seamer Ajit Agarkar, recovering from a broken left thumb, were retained in the squad, subject to passing fitness tests.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik and seamer Vikram Pratap Singh will stand-by in case Yuvraj and Agarkar fail to make the tour which begins on November 16.
”It was disappointing that India did not make the semifinals of the Champions Trophy but we have enough matches left to finalise our team for the World Cup in the West Indies in March,” said Vengsarkar.
After returning from the South African tour in January, India will play four matches each against Sri Lanka and the West Indies at home before leaving for the Caribbean in the last week of February.
Kumble said he was delighted to be back in the one-day squad.
”Limited-overs cricket is a young man’s game but there is room for experience,” said the veteran of 264 one-dayers. ”I will fit in well in this team.”
India begin the six-week tour with a practice match against South Africa ‘A’ in Benoni on November 16.
The five one-dayers will be played in Johannesburg on November 19, Durban on November 22, Cape Town on November 26, Port Elizabeth on November 29 and in Centurion on December 3.
A Twenty20 international, India’s first, will be held in Johannesburg on December 1 between the fourth and fifth one-dayer.
The three Tests will be played in Johannesburg from December 15-19, in Durban from December 26-20 and in and Cape Town from January 2-6. – Sapa-AFP
India’s one-day squad:
Rahul Dravid (capt), Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Wasim Jaffer, Mohammad Kaif, Yuvraj Singh (Dinesh Karthik on stand-by), Suresh Raina, Dinesh Mongia, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Irfan Pathan, Ajit Agarkar (Vikram Pratap Singh on standby), Munaf Patel, Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, Harbhajan Singh, Anil Kumble, Zaheer Khan. Coach: Greg Chappell.