MUMBAI: Mahendra Singh Dhoni got the much-needed rest but the national selectors sprang a major surprise by axing Yuvraj Singh and including uncapped left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha in India's 16-member squad for the three-Test series in Sri Lanka starting later this month.

Apart from Ojha, uncapped Mumbai batsman Rohit Sharma also finds a place in the squad announced by BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah after the selection committee meeting.

A struggling Irfan Pathan and opener Wasim Jaffer were also dropped from the squad, while Parthiv Patel earned a recall after a long gap. Tired of playing non-stop cricket for the past one year, Dhoni had told the BCCI not to consider him for the Test series against Sri Lanka beginning on July 23.

With Dhoni opting out of the series, the selectors included two wicket keepers in Dinesh Kaarthick and Parthiv Patel, who forced his way on the back of his splendid performance in domestic cricket.

Jaffer was expectedly dropped and in his place in-form Delhi opener Gautam Gambhir was inducted in the squad, which has seven specialist batsmen, four pacers, three spinners and two wicket-keepers.

Sachin Tendulkar and Harbhajan Singh, both of whom had been out of action in the one-dayers, were named in the squad which will have a new vice-captain in Virender Sehwag.

While Tendulkar had been recuperating from a groin injury that forced him out to sit out of the third and final Test against South Africa in April, Harbhajan was serving a five-match ODI ban for slapping teammate S Sreesanth during the Indian Premier League.

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