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Kaif out, Harbhajan in for first test in Mohali

     Mumbai: India's selectors kept faith with a struggling Vangipurappu Laxman by excluding Mohammad Kaif from a 14-player squad named on Saturday for the first test against Pakistan starting in Mohali on March 8. The wristy Laxman, 30, had been under pressure to retain his place after scoring just two fifties in his last 15 innings, spread over four series. The talented Kaif was favoured to remain in the squad. The selectors, however, recalled left-hander Yuvraj Singh, who had been ignored after failing as a makeshift opener in last year's home test series defeat against Australia. Yuvraj's lone test hundred came against Pakistan at Lahore last year. Pakistan is scheduled to play three tests and six one-day internationals in their first full series in India for six years. The selectors retained Saurav Ganguly as captain for the entire series against Pakistan.

     "The selection committee unanimously selected Saurav Ganguly to be the captain for the entire series in test as well as the one day games. Before going to the proceedings the selection committee had a briefing from John Roster the new physiotherapist of Indian team regarding the injury status of the players who have already done the rehabilitation process and also of the players who have sustained injuries," Indian cricket board secretary Karunakaran Nair told reporters after the selection committee meeting here. Laxman, who scored an Indian test record 281 to spark a 2-1 home series upset over Australia in 2001, has not reached three figures since he made 178 in the final test in Sydney in January 2004. It was a tough decision for the selectors to pick Yuvraj ahead of Kaif, Nair added. Kaif will captain an Indian cricket board president's XI to play Pakistan in a warm-up game in Dharamsala from March 3-5. Leading batsman Sachin Tendulkar was included after recovering from a long-term tennis elbow injury, along with pacemen Ashish Nehra and Lakshmipathy Balaji who also return from injury.

      Also included was off spinner Harbhajan Singh, who was reported for throwing while bowling the 'doosra', the delivery, which spins away from a right-handed batsman, during India's series in Bangladesh in December. The 24-year-old bowler travelled to Australia to work with bio- mechanist Bruce Elliott this month and the Indian board awaits his report. "So far nothing has gone against him. But only thing, he has gone for a corrective test by a biomechanical expert and that report is awaited to be received any moment. We have also sounded the biomechanical expert to forward these reports as early as possible so that in view of the Pakistan tour. Depending on that he will be in the team and he can play in the test," said Nair. India's test squad: Saurav Ganguly (captain), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Vangipurappu Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Dinesh Karthik (wicketkeeper), Irfan Pathan, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Lakshmipathy Balaji. Board President's XI squad: Mohammad Kaif (captain), Dheeraj Jadhav, Satyajit Parab, Shikhar Dhawan, Venugopal Rao, Suresh Raina, Neeraj Patel, Parthiv Patel (wicketkeeper), Ramesh Powar, Shib Shankar Paul, Rudrapratap Singh, Gagandeep Singh, Ranadeb Bose, R.Ramkumar.

Hockey player beaten up by another (Go To Top)

     New Delhi: In a shocking incident, Indian forward Deepak Thakur suffered multiple injuries on the face and hand following an attack by a rival player during a domestic hockey match here today. The incident took place when Indian Oil's Thakur objected to Punjab Police defender Kanwalpreet Singh's tackling of Prabhjot Singh, an IOL forward, during a Super League match of the Ranjit Singh hockey tournament at the Shivaji Stadium. Incensed over the objection, Kanwalpreet, himself an international player, hit Thakur on the face repeatedly with his stick following which the Indian forward had to be rushed to a city hospital for treatment. Medical tests revealed Thakur had a broken nose and injuries on the right side of the face and hand, hospital sources said. Several Punjab Police players including Gagan Ajit Singh and coach Pargat Singh visited the hospital. Punjab Police, one of the title favourites, have been thrown out of the competition.

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