Raju, Kumble back in team for Chennai Test

MUMBAI, FEB 25: The national cricket selectors today expectedly recalled Karnataka stalwarts Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble for national duty ...

MUMBAI, FEB 25: The national cricket selectors today expectedly recalled Karnataka stalwarts Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble for national duty by including them in the 14-man Indian squad for the first Test against Australia commencing at Chennai on March 6.

The selectors also went by the assurance given by the International Cricket Council (ICC) of clearing Rajesh Chauhan’s modified bowling action, conveyed to them by the meeting’s convenor and secretary of the Indian board Jaywant Lele, and included the Madhya Pradesh off-spinner in the team.

Dravid, who has earned the sobriquet of “Mr Consistent” for his dependability, and ace leg spinner Kumble were not part of India’s last International assignment, a successful one at that, in the Independence Cup at Dhaka last month along with Chauhan.

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Chauhan was not selected following a communication from the ICC’s “special panel on illegal delivery” who found his action in the November-December three-Test home series against Sri Lanka to constitute “athrow”.

The selectors, however, did not include Karnataka’s pace ace Venkatesh Prasad by saying that the bowler was not fully fit because of his shoulder problem while recalling Hyderabad left-arm spinner Venkatapathy Raju after a gap of more than one year.

Raju, who went on the tour to South Africa in 1996-end, without playing in a single Test, was put on cold storage thereafter.

But his recall to the team was on the cards after his Hyderabad mate Mohammed Azharuddin replaced Sachin Tendulkar at the helm of the team affairs at the beginning of 1998.

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Raju has missed 16 Tests meanwhile after turning up for India in the playing eleven against England in mid 1996 under Azharuddin.

Also brought into the 14 announced here today were Orissa swing bowler Debashish Mohanty who is a member of the India `A’ team in Pakistan.

The Indian board had given the selectors the go-ahead for summoning anyone from the India `A’ team now touring Pakistan midway for the Test series paving the way for the inclusion ofMohanty who has been impressive in the international arena.

Also included in the 14 for the first time for Tests was Punjab medium-pacer Harvinder Singh who has already played in One-Day Internationals.

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In all, the selectors made four changes to the 14 which was named for the last Test at Mumbai against Sri Lanka which ended on December 7, 1997.

The selection committee which met here today with Indian skipper Mohammed Azharuddin and coach Anshuman Gaekwad in attendance as non voting members made four changes to the 14-named for India’s latest against Sri Lanka in Mumbai in December 1997.

Ajay Jadeja, who has recently undergone a knee operation in the states, Prasad, Abey Kuruvilla and left-arm spinner Nilesh Kulkarni have been replaced by all rounder Hrishikesh Kanitkar (Maharashtra), Mohanty, Harvinder Singh and Raju.