The national selection committee, on Saturday, ‘literally’ announced the 15-member Indian team that will eventually fly out to the West Indies for the World Cup. Though the squad is only for the first two ODIs vs Sri Lanka, these 15 are sure to board the flight to the Caribbean unless “some major surprises spring up’’ in the coming week. Gautam Gambhir, Suresh Raina and Ramesh Powar were left out of the team and in their place, Virender Sehwag and Munaf Patel were selected. Irfan Pathan, who was the 16th member in the team for the match against West Indies at Vadodara, has now been included in the squad of 15.The interesting inclusion, on Saturday, was that of S Sreesanth, given the fact that there had been immense speculation over the team management wanting to opt for the services of an extra batsman in the middle order and a good fielder (Read: Suresh Raina). The selectors, however, have decided to give Sreesanth a go, at least for the first two one-dayers and check on his form. “Sreesanth is a young and aggressive bowler and has a good level of fitness. If he makes it to the World Cup, the important aspect will also be that we need a good medium-pacer who can keep that level of fitness throughout the two-month tour,’’ a senior selector said. While it can be safely said that this squad is the one that will eventually fly out, the chances of Raina coming back into the side still cannot be ruled out. Munaf Patel, who passed the required fitness test and also bowled at the nets on the eve of the one-day match at Vadodara, will also be under the scanner during the next two matches. “He is fit to play and from what we’ve seen, he looks good. But again, match fitness is something totally different. Therefore, we will also keep an eye on his performance during the next two matches,’’ the selector said. The dilemma is thus: five medium-pacers, or drop one and pick an extra bat. The latter means Raina still has a chance. If not, it’s Sreesanth and Munaf both. The competition is now only for the 15th spot. Sehwag and Pathan — who will play all matches against Sri Lanka — have already booked their tickets. Asked why Sehwag was recalled despite no exceptional showing by him, chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar said: “Sehwag has done well for India in the past. He is an experienced cricketer and can bowl off-spin. He got the much-needed break in the last one month and from what we’ve been following he’s spent a lot of time at the nets. He will be an asset to the side, but we will definitely see his performances vs Sri Lanka.’’ Sehwag’s inclusion in the side has rung down the curtains on Powar’s trip to the West Indies.
