NEW DELHI — The host India Friday recalled strike bowler Mohammed Shami and named veteran former champions Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh in its squad for the World Twenty20 which begins next month.
Shami has not played for India since last year’s 50 over World Cup after suffering a knee injury and was sent home early from India’s recent tour of Australia with hamstring problems.
But chairman of selectors Sandeep Patil said the 25-year-old had recovered and would be given time to prove his fitness, leaving open the possibility of calling up a late replacement before the final selection deadline. “We have 30 days to ascertain where Shami is,” Patil told reporters in New Delhi.
Shami’s inclusion was the most eye-catching in a 15-man squad packed with experience and skippered by Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who led India to victory in the 2007 inaugural tournament in South Africa.
There had been questions about Dhoni’s future after a disappointing run of scores but critics were silenced when he led India to a 3-0 victory in the recent T20 series against Australia. Patil refused to be drawn on Dhoni’s long-term future but underlined the Indian board (BCCI) retained complete faith in the 34-year-old, who will also captain the same squad in the Asia Cup in Bangladesh.
“We have total faith in MSD’s captaincy and that is why the selection committee felt that he is the right person to lead India in the Asia cup and till the T20 world cup. What happens after that we will wait and see,” Patil said.
Dhoni, who has already relinquished the Test captaincy to Virat Kohli, is widely expected to retire from internationals after the tournament.
The 35-year-old Harbhajan and Yuvraj, 34, are two other veterans of India’s triumph in 2007, the only time the team has won the trophy.
The only uncapped player in the squad is the left-arm spinner Pawan Negi, who has impressed in the Indian Premier League with his bowling and his powerful lower-order hitting.
India’s first match in the World T20 comes against New Zealand in Nagpur on March 15. It then faces archrival Pakistan in Dharamsala on March 19. The final is in Kolkata on April 3. The Asia Cup, which is also a T20 tournament, runs from Feb. 24 to March 6.
Squad: MS Dhoni (captain), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja, Hardik Pandya, Ravichandran Ashwin, Harbhajan Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Ashish Nehra, Pawan Negi and M. Shami.
Delhi T20 decision Monday
New Delhi’s Feroz Shah Kotla ground has three more days to acquire the necessary paperwork to retain hosting rights for matches at the World Twenty20 tournament starting next month, the Indian cricket board (BCCI) said Friday.
The Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) failed to get the requisite clearances from various civic authorities in order to host a T20 match between India and Sri Lanka on Feb. 12, forcing the BCCI to transfer the contest to Ranchi. Delhi is scheduled to host four matches in the March 8-April 3 tournament, including a semifinal on March 30, but could lose out completely due to an inability to abide by bureaucratic routine. — Agencies
