Cricket: Azhar out but Tendulkar back

By Richard Boock

India will be without one great batsman but seem likely to have the services of another for the first cricket test against New Zealand, starting Sunday.

Hopes that their injured captain Sachin Tendulkar will recover in time to play at Mohali have risen with his inclusion in the 14-strong squad, in contrast to the fortunes of veteran batsman Mohammad Azharuddin, whose non-selection effectively signals the end of his international career.

The 36-year-old Azharuddin - just two matches away from his 100th test appearance - was sacked as captain and dropped from the one-day squad following India's World Cup disappointment, and now appears to have been shelved for good by the Indian selectors, who made noises about looking to the future when asked about his omission.

After reportedly consulting with Tendulkar and the newly appointed coach Kapil Dev, the selectors yesterday announced a squad notable for the omission of Azharuddin and established wicket-keeper Nayan Mongia, and for the inclusion of relative unknowns Vijay Bhardwaj, Mannava Prasad and Devang Ghandi.

The left-handed Ghandi (28) is expected to open the batting with Sadagopan Ramesh, while Prasad (24) will take over the wicket-keeping responsibilities and Bhardwaj (24) - nicknamed "pinga" by his mates - will contest a middle-order berth with Ajay Jadeja. None has played a test.

Missing from the squad which toured New Zealand this year are Navjot Sidhu, VVS Laxman, Robin Singh (jun), Azharuddin and Mongia.

Bhardwaj, who bowls a few part-time off-breaks, has been widely tipped to secure a test spot after making a promising one-day debut in Kenya last month, and more than a 1000 runs while steering Karnataka to the Ranji Trophy title in last season's domestic season.

However, with the Indian middle-order already wellrepresented by Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly, Bhardwaj's main chances rest with the selectors either preferring him to Jadeja at No 6, or using him to compliment Anil Kumble as the second spinner.

Ghandi's selection is interesting not only because he is 28 (which is old in anyone's book for a test debut), but also because he hasn't represented India at any level previously, not at age-group level, in ODIs, or even the national "A" side. He was included in the 30-strong Indian squad for the World Cup but, as expected, missed the final cut.

On the other hand, Prasad has played a dozen ODIs during his apprenticeship to Mongia, and - while not completely familiar with the test environment - has at least been on the international scene for a couple of years, and has played in the four ODI tournaments since the World Cup.

India's new gloveman toured Pakistan with the "A" side in 1997-98, but unlike Mongia (who opened for a while), is not known for his batting skills.

Chairman of selectors Chandu Borde said Azharuddin's omission was not a surprise.

"Azhar's name was discussed like all others and we unanimously felt the team chosen today was the best," Borde said after a two-hour selection meeting. "Keeping the future in mind we feel this team will deliver the goods."

India: Sachin Tendulkar (captain), Sadagopan Ramesh, Devang Gandhi, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, Ajay Jadeja, Mannava Prasad (wicket-keeper), Sunil Joshi, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Javagal Srinath, Venkatesh Prasad, Debashish Mohanty and Vijay Bharadwaj.