Date:02/10/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/02/stories/2008100250380100.htm

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Ganguly in squad for Australia Tests

Special Correspondent

CHENNAI: Sourav Ganguly has been included in the 15-member Indian squad for the first two cricket Tests against Australia later this month.

The 36-year-old left-hander retained his spot in the squad chosen by the new selection committee, headed by Krishnamachari Srikkanth, in Mumbai on Wednesday.

Tamil Nadu batsman S. Badrinath earned a call-up, as did Haryana leg-spinner Amit Mishra. The pair replace Rohit Sharma and Pragyan Ojha from the squad which toured Sri Lanka.

M.S. Dhoni returns to Test cricket after opting out of the three-match series against Mahela Jayawardene’s side citing fatigue. He is the lone wicketkeeper in the squad – his replacements in Sri Lanka, Dinesh Karthik and Parthiv Patel, were excluded.

The four-Test series gets under way in Bangalore on October 9. The second Test will be played in Mohali from October 17 to 21.

The squad:

Anil Kumble (capt.), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, V.V.S. Laxman, M.S. Dhoni (wk), Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Munaf Patel, R.P. Singh, S. Badrinath, and Amit Mishra.