BCCI selectors drop Dravid from ODI squad against Australia India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

The Wall of Indian cricket Rahul Dravid has been dropped from the One Day International squad for the first two matches of a seven-match series against Australia starting October 25. The first match will be played at Vadodara and Nagpur. The selectors decision to drop Dravid, despite his consistent show in the recent Champions Trophy after a two-year hiatus from limited overs cricket has raised many eyebrows. The selection committee of the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) headed by K. Srikanth, which met here, also axed all-rounder Yusuf Pathan, pacer RP Singh and all rounder Abhishek Nayar from the squad. Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh have made a comeback into the squad after recovering from their respective injuries. Sehwag has been out of international cricket after being operated for a shoulder injury. He missed both the Twenty20 World Cup in England and the Champions Trophy in South Africa. Pacer Munaf Patel returns to the 15-member squad, while wicket-keeper batsman Dinesh Karthik has been shown the doors. Delhi's Ishant Sharma, and Uttar Pradesh pacer Sudeep Tyagi have been included. Another pacer Zaheer Khan, who is recovering from a shoulder surgery, was ruled out of contention. Harbhajan Singh will remain the frontline tweaker, while Amit Mishra, Ravinder Jadeja and Pragyan Ojha would play in turns during the seven-match series. The Australians commence their campaign on October 25 at Vadodara and play the seventh and final tie at Mumbai on November 11. The squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (c), Gautam Gambhir, Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Virat Kohli, Praveen Kumar, Amit Mishra, Ashish Nehra, Suresh Raina, Ishant Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Munaf Patel, Sudeep Tyagi.