Jul 20, 2006, 16:59 GMT
Mumbai, July 20 (IANS) A match fit Sachin Tendulkar along with Dinesh Mongia Thursday staged a comeback to the Indian team for the one-day triangular series in Sri Lanka next month that also involves South Africa.
Left-arm pacer Rudra Pratap Singh, now touring Australia with the India 'A' side, also returns to the team announced by the Indian cricket board secretary Niranjan Shah here.
Tendulkar and Mongia replace Y. Venugopal Rao and Robin Uthappa, who were in the squad that lost the one-day series 1-4 in the Caribbean.
While the return of Tendulkar, who has completely recovered after an operation on his right shoulder, was a foregone conclusion once he satisfied the board of his fitness a few days ago, Mongia stages a comeback on the basis of his good performance for Leicestershire in the ongoing English county championship.
Tendulkar, who has amassed 10,468 runs in 132 Tests and 14.1406 runs in 362 one-day internationals, last played for India in the third Test against England in Mumbai in March. He missed 14 one-day internationals and four Tests while he was recuperating after the shoulder operation performed in March end.
Before the board declared Tendulkar fit for selection Tuesday, the maestro played five club-level matches in England that helped team physiotherapist John Gloster and doctors judge his fitness.
Mongia played the last of his 51 one-day internationals against Pakistan in Delhi April 17 last year.
After the team's announcement, chairman of selectors Kiran More said Mongia would be handy as the team could utilise his left-arm spin.
'We are looking at Mongia as an all-rounder, especially his ability to bowl left-arm spin,' he said. 'Mongia can be useful as a left-arm spin option as Harbhajan and Powar are off-spinners.'
Singh was omitted from the Test squad that won the four-Test series 1-0 in the West Indies, though he had played in the one-day series preceding the Tests.
More said the selection panel also discussed the name of left-arm pacer Zaheer Khan, who is having a good run for Worcestershire in the county competitions.
On leg-spinner Anil Kumble, who was ignored, More said that 'we have something in mind for him'.
India open their campaign against Sri Lanka at R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo Aug 16, after the seven-match tournament opens with a South Africa-Sri Lanka encounter at the same venue.
Sinhalese Sports Club is the other venue for the tournament. The final will be played at R. Premadasa Stadium Aug 29.
Sanjay Jagdale, one of the five selectors who picked the squad, will be going as the team manager. A former Madhya Pradesh player and also secretary of the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association, Jagdale was also the manager on India's previous tour to Sri Lanka for a triangular series in August last year.
The players will undergo a fitness camp in Bangalore between July 25 and Aug 1. Then a cricket camp will be held between Aug 6 and 10, the day the team leaves for Sri Lanka.
SQUAD: Rahul Dravid (captain), Virender Sehwag (vice-captain), Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Suresh Raina, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wicket-keeper), Irfan Pathan, Sreesanth, Rudra Pratap Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Romesh Powar, Munaf Patel, Ajit Agarkar and Dinesh Mongia
Support staff: Greg Chappell (coach), Ian Frazer (bio-mechanic expert), John Gloster (physiotherapist), Greg King (physical trainer) and Sanjay Jagdale (manager)
ITINERARY:
Aug 10: Indian team arrives in Colombo
Aug 11: One-day warm-up match, Colombo
Aug 14: Sri Lanka vs. South Africa at R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo (D/N)
Aug 16: India vs. Sri Lanka, R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo (D/N)
Aug 19: India vs. South Africa, Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo
Aug 21: Sri Lanka vs. South Africa, Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo
Aug 24: India vs. Sri Lanka, R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo (D/N)
Aug 26: India vs. South Africa, R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo (D/N)
Aug 29: Final, R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo (D/N)
Aug 30: Reserve day for final/departure
© 2006 Indo-Asian News Service
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