India recall Kartik for South Africa Tests

India have picked three spinners including left-armer Murali Kartik for the first two Test matches against South Africa starting later this month.

Kartik, 31, who played the last of his eight Tests against the South Africans in November 2004, joins skipper Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh in a strong spin attack for the hosts.

India’s new pace sensation Ishant Sharma, who suffered toe and finger injuries on the recent tour of Australia, was omitted from the 14-man squad after failing a fitness test.

The seamer will miss the first Test in Chennai from March 26-30, but will be considered, if fit, for the second Test in Ahmedabad from April 3-7 and the final match in Kanpur from April 11-15.

Sharma is the only exclusion from the 11 that played in India’s last Test, against Australia in Adelaide in January, which ended in a draw and left the hosts 2-1 winners.

Opening batsman Wasim Jaffer, middle-order batsman Yuvraj Singh, pace bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth and Kartik have been added to the Adelaide team.

Kumble and the team’s new South African coach, Gary Kirsten, also have three seam bowlers to pick from for the first Test, besides a rich choice of seven frontline batsmen.

Injury worries, however, dominated the announcement of the squad by Indian cricket board secretary Niranjan Shah after a meeting of the five-man selection committee here on Monday.

Teenage leg-spinner Piyush Chawla, 19, was put on stand-by in case Kartik and Harbhajan fail to recover in time from minor injuries.

Kartik sprained his ankle during a domestic one-day match on Monday, while Harbhajan will undergo a fitness test on March 21 for a hamstring niggle sustained during the Australian tour.

Pace spearhead Zaheer Khan has already opted out of the series, saying he had not fully recovered from an ankle injury suffered in January.

India’s Test squad:

Anil Kumble (capt), Wasim Jaffer, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Venkatsai Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wicket-keeper), Irfan Pathan, Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, Rudra Pratap Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Murali Kartik.

Coach: Gary Kirsten (RSA)

Ishant ruled out of first Test

Ishant Sharma has been ruled out of the first Test against South Africa but the two Singhs – Yuvraj and Harbhajan – have been retained after the selectors named an expected 14-member squad in Bangalore.

Murali Kartik was brought in as the third spinner, though an ankle sprain which he sustained in the Deodhar Trophy match in Bangalore today could keep him out of the Test. He went off the field after twisting his ankle while fielding on the long-off boundary, and was taken to a nearby hospital for an x-ray.

Harbhajan, who didn’t go through a fitness test though he was supposed to today, will have to do so on March 21. Piyush Chawla, the legspinner, has been picked as a back-up for both Harbhajan and Kartik.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who suffered a sprain to a finger, will also undergo a test on the same day, and in case he doesn’t clear it, Dinesh Karthik has been named as back-up.

Ishant had suffered an inflammation to his big toe during India’s recent tour to Australia, apart from a finger injury, and was advised complete rest for three weeks. His selection for the second Test, starting in Ahmedabad on April 3, is subject to another fitness test.

Yuvraj, who had a problem with his knee, underwent a fitness test at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore. He had a poor run in the Tests in Australia, scoring just 17 in two matches, but retained his spot. Wasim Jaffer, another player who was dropped during the Australia series, also held on to his place.

Sreesanth comes back into the side after recovering from a shoulder problem. RP Singh, who suffered a hamstring strain in Adelaide, also made the cut and showed his fine form with a five-wicket haul against North Zone in the Deodhar Trophy match in Bangalore. Zaheer Khan, who had said he needs more time to recover, wasn’t picked and Niranjan Shah, the board secretary, felt “he may miss the series”.

Virender Sehwag, who made a match-saving hundred in the Adelaide Test, was retained and celebrated with a rollicking 81 in the Deodhar Trophy in Bangalore. The middle order has a familiar look to it.

Anil Kumble will spearhead the spin department but it remains to be seen who his partner will be in the first Test in Chennai, which starts on March 26. The meeting, chaired by Dilip Vengsarkar, lasted an hour and a half. Kumble and Gary Kirsten, the newly-appointed coach, were present as well.

Squad for first two Test Wasim Jaffer, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk), Irfan Pathan, Anil Kumble (capt), Harbhajan Singh, Murali Kartik, Sreesanth, RP Singh.

Back-ups: Piyush Chawla, Dinesh Karthik