BANGALORE, 19 July 2005 — Indian selectors named Rahul Dravid captain for the one-day tournament in Sri Lanka yesterday, replacing Saurav Ganguly whose participation hinges on the outcome of his second appeal against a six-match ban.
Dravid, 32, will lead India in a full series for the first time, although he has deputized for Ganguly in both Tests and one-dayers.
Ganguly was provisionally included in a 16-man squad and will travel to the tournament if his appeal is successful. The series, also involving West Indies, starts on July 30.
Ganguly was banned for six one-dayers in April for his team’s slow over rate in two consecutive matches during a 4-2 home one-day series defeat against Pakistan. His initial appeal was rejected by the International Cricket Council (ICC) match commissioner.
Although ICC rules say the decision is binding, the Indian board appealed to the ICC’s Disputes Resolution Committee, contesting rules governing the ban and procedures adopted by match Commissioner Michael Beloff.
South African judge Albie Sachs, hearing the latest appeal, said he would give his decision only after July 22, the deadline for both parties to give their written submissions.
Wristy batsman Vangipurappu Laxman and leg spinner Anil Kumble, India’s most successful bowler in Tests and one-dayers, were included. Both have struggled to hold regular one-day spots in the past two seasons.
The squad contains two uncapped batsmen in Suresh Raina and Venugopal Rao, both seen as bright future prospects.
Left-hander Raina, 18, is a top-order batsman who scored heavily in domestic matches last season. Rao is a middle-order batsman.
Leading batsman Sachin Tendulkar has been sidelined as he is recovering after elbow surgery in May.
Squad: Rahul Dravid (captain), Virender Sehwag, Vangipurappu Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Mahendra Dhoni (wicketkeeper), Suresh Raina, Jaiprakash Yadav, Venugopal Rao, Zaheer Khan, Lakshmipathy Balaji, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Irfan Pathan, Ashish Nehra, Saurav Ganguly.
