The Indian selection committee has announced the team that will tour Bangladesh in a few weeks time, once the IPL concludes. The selection committee, which met in Mumbai on Wednesday, retained the majority of the squad that toured Australia in 2014-15, with the notable exception of Ravindra Jadeja. None of the first-choice players requested rest, despite having played the World Cup and the IPL back-to-back, and so the selectors picked full-strength squads.
Most of the team picked itself but there was one surprise inclusion. Veteran off-spinner, Harbhajan Singh, was chosen to be part of the squad for the one Test. It caught us all a bit surprised, considering that Harbhajan has played only three first-class games throughout the season. However, he has been a revelation in the IPL so far and has picked 16 wickets. Sandeep Patil, India’s chairman of selectors, said consideration had been given to the number of left-handers in the Bangladesh Test squad before the decision to pick a second off-spinner was made.
“The Bangladesh batting order has six left-handers, keeping that in mind, we discussed with the captain and we felt it was necessary to have a second off-spinner,” he said. “I also want to point out we not only discussed Harbhajan. We also discussed other youngsters and considered them. Ultimately, the selection committee and the captain felt this was the right choice for this particular tour. We look for the performances, the fitness and the combination – whether a bowler or batsman fits in that combination. Last two years we have been trying … we have made some mistakes, and may be, we will make some more mistakes but we have to learn from the mistakes. Indian cricket has gone through transition period and we are just trying to settle down.”
With Duncan Fletcher’s contract expiring, there have been a few names doing the rounds on who will be the next coach. Anurag Thakur, the BCCI secretary, remained vague when asked about it and said it would be finalised next week. India’s tour to Bangladesh starts with the only Test on June 10th , and in case the board fails to make a decision by then, the team is likely to leave without a head coach.
India Squads to play Bangladesh:
Test: Virat Kohli (captain), M Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul,Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha, R Ashwin, Harbhajan Singh, Karn Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron, Ishant Sharma
ODI: MS Dhoni (captain), Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Mohit Sharma, Stuart Binny, Dhawal Kulkarni
