Date:13/12/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/12/13/stories/2007121358962300.htm

Sport

Sehwag’s stunning comeback

Special Correspondent

— FILE Photo

RARING TO GO: Pankaj Singh finds a place in the Indian Test team for the Australian tour.

Bangalore: Virender Sehwag has made a stunning comeback to the Indian squad for the four-Test series against Australia. Rookie paceman Pankaj Singh is also a surprise inclusion.

The squad was announced by BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah. The side was picked late evening here on Wednesday after a meeting chaired by Dilip Vengsarkar

A shoulder injury to Gautam Gambhir, requiring at least three weeks of rest, opened a place for Sehwag. Incidentally, the latter was not among the 24 probables for the Test squad.

Impressive record

The 29-year-old Sehwag has an impressive record in Australia with 464 runs in the four Tests of the 2003-04 series. He is strong off his backfoot which is an asset on the pitches down under.

Sehwag last played for India in Tests early this year in Cape Town. His returns of 40 — batting in the middle-order — and four did not help his cause. Neither did his series average of below 20. The star batsman was soon out of favour.

The fact that Sehwag had fired at the top-order down under, taking the pressure off the middle-order, probably worked in his favour. He is being seen as an attacking option against an aggressive side.

Pankaj has been rewarded for his performances for Rajasthan and India ‘A’. He is a tall, strongly-built paceman who hits the deck and seams the ball around. There is a belief that a bowler of his kind who extracts bounce from just around the off-stump could perform well in Australia.

The side has five pacemen in Zaheer Khan, the leader of the pack, R.P. Singh, Ishant Sharma, Irfan Pathan and Pankaj. Three of the pacemen are left-armers.

Injury ruled S. Sreesanth out, while R.P. has passed a fitness test. Munaf Patel has been left out.

The paceman has been asked to work on his match-fitness.

No left-arm spinner

Skipper Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh are the lone spinners in the side which lacks a left-arm spinner. And Pathan is the only all-rounder.

Wasim Jaffer, the first choice, Dinesh Karthik and Sehwag are the openers.

M.S. Dhoni and Karthik will be the batsmen-wicketkeepers.

Sachin Tendulkar and Dhoni have overcome fitness concerns. The middle-order is the team’s strength.

India’s last Test series in Australia ended in a 1-1 draw.