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Salvi, Gambhir, Mishra and Kale get the nod
By Our Special Correspondent
Abhijit Kale.
Various factors, significantly his own skill, a bagful of wickets coupled with the sweat and toil in the current first class season has contributed to Salvi's inclusion in the 15-member team for the Tri-series in Dhaka from April 11. One may be tempted to put down this Mumbai seamer's 29-wicket haul during India A's current tour of the West Indies as the clincher. But it must be said that Javagal Srinath's decision to `rest and recuperate' after the World Cup and the ankle injury to Ashish Nehra, made things easy for the national selectors to pick the lanky seamer straightway for the tournament in which the third team will be South Africa.
The 21-year-old Salvi, who has had the benefit of training under Frank Tyson, has taken 59 first class wickets at 18.27, taking five wickets in an innings five times and ten wickets in a match, once. Like Salvi, another player who has been rewarded for his consistent performance and perseverance is Delhi opener Gambhir. The left-hander first caught the attention of the selectors when he scored a double century in a tour game against Zimbabwe at Vijayawada last year.
After that he has been in good nick on three tours with the India `A' team to South Africa, Sri Lanka and the West Indies.
His partner Akash Chopra, too, has had an excellent run, but the selectors picked Gambhir because of his consistent form over a period of two years. Chopra will have to wait for now.
Gambhir has played 36 first class matches, scored 3,175 runs at 59. 90 with ten centuries and 12 fifties.
Amit Mishra.
Maharashtra's middle order batsman Abhijit Kale has been in the circuit for more than ten years and is a classic example of a player who never gives up.
The team management questioned his attitude during the tour to South Africa and he was subsequently dropped for the tour to Sri Lanka with the India `A' team.
Kale brings with him experience aplenty. He has played 83 first class matches, scored 6,705 runs at 58.81 and hit 24 centuries and 26 half centuries.
Two more players have benefited following the decision of five members of the World Cup squad to make themselves not available for different reasons. Haryana leg-spinner Amit Mishra and Delhi off-spinner Sarandeep Singh, viewed as the best after Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble, have been recalled.
The selectors opted for a third spinner because of the type of surface the team will find in Bangladesh in the course of the ten-day event there.
A. Salvi
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Hon. Secretary Mr. S. Karunakaran Nair confirmed that five players — Sachin Tendulkar (calcification in the fingers), Rahul Dravid (finger injury), Ashish Nehra (ankle injury), Anil Kumble (personal reasons) and Srinath (rest) — have opted out of the tournament in Bangladesh.
"Nehra will undergo a surgery in South Africa on April 17,'' said Mr. Nair.
Mr. Nair said that V.V.S. Laxman and Murali Kartik have been advised rest for three weeks and hence were not considered.
The team will assemble in Kolkata and leave for Dhaka on April 9. According to Mr. Nair, the President of India, Mr. Abdul Kalam, will felicitate India's World Cup team at the Rashtrapathi Bhavan on April 7.
BCCI to clear
players' dues
Meanwhile BCCI has decided to clear all dues to the players who have represented India from the tour of England last year.
"We have not received money (team sponsorship) from the sponsor (Sahara India), but we have made arrangements to release payments to the players. Whatever money is due to them till the World Cup will be cleared soon. We don't want the players to suffer,'' said Mr. Nair.
Gautam Gambhir.
Mr. Nair said that usually payments are made to the players once the money is received from the team sponsor.
"But there's been a delay and it's been longer than we had expected. The BCCI treasurer is working on the payments to be made to the players and money will be released at the earliest.''
The team
Sourav Ganguly (capt.)
Virender Sehwag (vice-capt.)
Gautham Gambhir
Mohammad Kaif
Yuveraj Singh
Dinesh Mongia
Parthiv Patel
Zaheer Khan
Harbhajan Singh
Ajit Agarkar
Sanjay Bangar
Amit Mishra
Abhijit Kale
Avishkar Salvi
Sarandeep Singh
Coach: John Wright
Physiotherapist: Andrew Leipus
Physical Trainer: Adrian le Roux.
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