Munaf Patel And Ishant Sharma In Third Test Squad
Ready for a return: Ishant Sharma.
©REUTERS/Tim Wimborne (AUSTRALIA) Picture Supplied by Action Images
The 19-year-old Sharma has been out of action since returning from an impressive tour of Australia, due to injuries to his foot and finger, and missed the first two tests against South Africa, while Munaf last played a test in December.
The visitors went 1-0 up in the three-test series on Saturday after winning the second game in Ahmedabad by an innings and 90 runs inside three days.
Indian selectors also recalled off-spinner Ramesh Powar in the squad.
"The team is keen to play three spinners and hence Powar has been added to the line-up," Indian board secretary Niranjan Shah told reporters.
Powar, who has played two tests, has been named partly as cover for skipper and leg-spinner Anil Kumble, who suffered a groin strain in the drawn first test and did not seem fully fit in the second.
Shah said both Sharma and Kumble would be subject to fitness tests on April 10, a day before the final test starts in Kanpur.
The hosts will be without talismanic batsman Sachin Tendulkar, who aggravated a groin injury in the first test which ruled him out of the remaining part of the series.
Squad: Wasim Jaffer, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Saurav Ganguly, Vangipurappu Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Irfan Pathan, Anil Kumble (captain), Harbhajan Singh, Piyush Chawla, Ramesh Powar, Ishant Sharma, Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, Munaf Patel.
© Reuters 2008
