Laxman to lead India-A in tour opener against Australia
The national selection committee which met at the Cricket Club of India in Mumbai this morning selected VVS Laxman to lead India-A in the tour opener against the visiting Australian team at Nagpur from February 17-19
Staff Reporter
05-Feb-2001
The national selection committee which met at the Cricket Club of
India in Mumbai this morning selected VVS Laxman to lead India-A in
the tour opener against the visiting Australian team at Nagpur from
February 17-19. Of the 14 players in the squad, only Gagan Khoda and
Javed Zaman are not in the list of 25 probables for the series against
Australia. Khoda is coming off an unbeaten triple century in the
Duleep Trophy against four bowlers who played for India against
Zimbabwe earlier in the season but Assam seamer Zaman is a surprise
packet. Having taken nine wickets at 44.55 in four Duleep Trophy
games, Zaman could consider himself lucky.
BCCI secretary Jaywant Lele said the Indian team for the first Test of
the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at Mumbai would be declared on the last day
of the tour opener at Nagpur, according to Press Trust of India. The
Board President's XI team for the three day warmup against Australia
at Delhi from March 6-8 will also be released at the same time. Lele
indicated that Sairaj Bahutule and 32-year-old veteran Narendra
Hirwani, who are not among the seven spinners included in the
probables, could get a break for the Board President's XI. Bahutule
was unfortunate to be overlooked in the first place and he did his
chances no harm by taking 16 wickets including a hat trick in the
Duleep Trophy, second only to Debashis Mohanty.
Lele noted that with the Sharjah tri-series having been cancelled, the
conditioning camp for the 25 probables would proceed one day behind
schedule at Chennai from February 7 to 11, followed by the Challenger
Series from February 12 to 15. The Chairman of Selectors, Chandu Borde
added that in light of Sachin Tendulkar's reluctance to lead India B
for the Challenger Series, a new captain would be selected during the
camp. "The conditioning camp will resume after the Challenger Trophy
while the players selected to represent the India-A squad for the
three-day match would proceed to Nagpur. The players selected for the
first Test will then assemble in Mumbai on February 20 and practice at
Wankhede Stadium till February 25" Lele remarked.
Replying to a question, the Board Secretary said there were no Mumbai
players in the India-A side since they would get an opportunity in the
second tour game between Mumbai and Australia from February 22-24.
"Our main idea is to try out as many players as possible before the
three Tests" observed Borde. He denied having given any orders to
local associations to prepare flat wickets in the three Tests. Indeed
Lele suggested that even the Vidarbha Cricket Association which hosts
the opener at Nagpur has been asked to prepare a 'sporting wicket'.
The India-A squad: Sadagoppan Ramesh, Shiv Sunder Das, VVS Laxman
(captain), Dinesh Mongia, Hemang Badani, Mohd. Kaif, Nayan Mongia
(wicketkeeper), Ashish Nehra, Debashis Mohanty, Rahul Sanghvi,
Harbhajan Singh, Balaji Rao, Gagan Khoda and Javed Zaman.