IndiaPost.com - Sehwag earns surprise recall for Australia series

BANGALORE: Virender Sehwag was handed out a fresh lifeline with the national selectors springing a surprise by recalling him while also naming rookie paceman Pankaj Singh in India's 16-member Test squad for the grueling cricket tour of Australia.

Sehwag, who did not figure in the list of 24 probables, got the nod after Gautam Gambhir was ruled out of the tour beginning later this month because of a sore shoulder.

The 22-year-old Pankaj Singh, the Rajasthan paceman who has caught the eye with his sterling performances in domestic cricket, was the lone new face in the squad announced by BCCI Secretary Niranjan Shah after the selection committee meeting here.

Some of India's key players like Sachin Tendulkar, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Zaheer Khan and Rudra Pratap Singh, who missed the third Test against Pakistan because of injuries, were included in the squad, having recovered from their fitness problems.

Barring the selection of Sehwag and Pankaj, there were no other surprises in the squad, which has seven batsmen, five pacemen, two spinners and two wicket-keeper batsmen.

"Gambhir has a sore shoulder and according to the report of physio John Gloster, he will need three weeks of rest. That is why he was not considered for selection," Shah said.

While wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Kaarthick retained his place, paceman Munaf Patel was omitted from the squad with the selectors wanting him to play more domestic matches before returning to international cricket.

"Munaf Patel is advised more match practice before his selection for international matches, so he will be seen in Ranji Trophy," Shah said. Shah said the Indian team will leave for Australia from Mumbai on December 17. The team is scheduled to play the first Test at Melbourne on December 26.

For Sehwag, it turned out to be an expected recall to the longer version of the game after a gap of nearly one year. He had last played a Test for India against South Africa in Cape Town in January this year.

After being in the wilderness for sometime, Sehwag first came to the national team for the Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa with moderate success.

Many former cricketers including former Australian captain Ian Chappell were surprised at the selectors' decision to leave out Sehwag from the list of probables, saying conditions in Australia would suit his game.