Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly has been retained in the national side whern the selectors named a 15-man squad for the first two Tests against Australia. Tamil Nadu batsman S. Badrinath and Haryana legspinner Amit Mishra, who played three one-day internationals in 2003, have been recalled.
The Indian squad comprises seven batsmen, one wicketkeeper, four fast bowlers and three spinners. The six batting slots are filled by Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Ganguly and V.V.S. Laxman, with Mahendra Singh Dhoni as wicketkeeper. The two wicketkeepers used in Sri Lanka after Dhoni opted out, Dinesh Karthik and Parthiv Patel, have been excluded.
The new Indian chief selectors Krishnamachari Srikkanth was confident the team would perform to expectations. "After discussions we have selected the team and this is the best team according to us," Srikkanth said after the meeting.
Ganguly had reportedly considered quitting cricket after being overlooked for the Irani Cup match between the Rest of India and Delhi but India's new selection panel, headed by Kris Srikkanth, has valued his experience over youngsters like Rohit Sharma, Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif. Ganguly has struggled against Australia, averaging just 31.73 in 20 Tests compared to an overall average of 41.74 in 109 Tests.