Laxman at the helm

MUMBAI, OCT. 4. Middle order batsman V.V.S. Laxman, who missed out a place on the tour to South Africa due to a knee injury, will lead a 14-member Rest of India team in the five-day Irani Trophy match against Ranji Trophy champion Vadodara at Pune from October 12 to 16.

The newly elected secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, Niranjan Shah, revealed that the BCCI received a fitness certificate from the Hyderabad batsman on Wednesday, stating that he had started net practise a fortnight ago. Laxman had gone to Australia for treatment.

Mr. Chandu Borde, chairman of the selectors, said that a majority of the players chosen for the Irani Trophy squad are in their early 20s, ``so that we can have a strong second string as replacements when the situation arises,'' explaining the rationale behind the choice of performers like Haryana wicketkeeper Ajay Ratra, Railways' batsman Yere Goud, Mumbai's opener Vinayak Mane, Orissa's R.R. Parida, UP's S. Srivastava and Kerala's Tinu Yohannan in the Rest of India squad.

The Rest of India team: V.V.S. Laxman (captain, Hyderabad), Akash Chopra, Rahul Sanghvi (both Delhi), Dinesh Mongia, Sharandeep Singh (both Punjab), Vinayak Mane (Mumbai), Yere Goud (Railways), Hrishikesh

Kanitkar (Maharashtra), R.R. Parida, Debasis Mohanty (both Orissa), Ajay Ratra (Haryana), S. Srivastava (UP), Tinu Yohannan (Kerala), Surender Singh Bagel (J&K).

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Section  : Sport
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