The Hindu : Sport : Kumble unlikely to be picked for tri-series in Sri Lanka

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jul 19, 2006

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Kumble unlikely to be picked for tri-series in Sri Lanka

Special Correspondent

Mumbai: Anil Kumble, who emerged with a 23-wicket haul in the four-Test series in the West Indies, is almost certain to spend the English summer bowling for Surrey and is not likely to be picked for the tri-series in Sri Lanka.

The news from the grapevine is that he's told that he will return to India's one-day campaigns with the Champions Trophy to be held in India in October-November. Clearly, the selectors want to bring him back at the right time and prepare him for the World Cup in the West Indies in March-April 2007.

Harbhajan Singh and Ramesh Powar manned India's spin department in the West Indies. While Harbhajan played in all five games, Powar figured in three. On Thursday, the selectors may consider recalling Punjab all-rounder Dinesh Mongia for the tri-series. A specialist batsman, Mongia can add value with his left-arm spin.

Mongia has figured in one or two selection committee discussions in the recent past. He has scored 799 runs in 10 first class matches for Leicestershire and is second in the county's 2006 batting averages. His batting has not been as good in the C & G limited-overs matches, but he's picked up 10 wickets too at 18 plus.

It is felt that there is a lot of similarity in the nature of the pitches in Sri Lanka and the West Indies and that it's worth trying Mongia in order to find the right balance for the World Cup.

The norm is a 14-member squad for a ODI tournament, but the BCCI may allow an additional member as it did for the West Indies. The pace department is likely to consist of Munaf Patel, S. Sreesanth, Ajit Agarkar and Irfan Pathan. Uttar Pradesh left-armer Rudra Pratap Singh, currently in Australia with the India `A' team, may not find a place.

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