M A I N   N E W S

Yuvraj, Yusuf axed, Tendulkar rested

New Delhi, June 7
Sachin Tendulkar was today rested while a struggling Yuvraj Singh was dropped from India’s 15-member squad for this month’s Asia Cup in Sri Lanka. Tendulkar had sought a break to spend time with his children, while Yuvraj’s ouster was on the cards after a series of disappointing performances in recent times.

Wicket-keeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik, all-rounder Yusuf Pathan and leg-spinner Amit Mishra were also axed while flamboyant opener Virender Sehwag returned to the squad announced by BCCI secretary N Srinivasan after a meeting of the selection committee here.

“Sachin Tendulkar requested the Board not to consider him for the Asia Cup, as he wanted to spend time with his children, in view of the hectic cricket season ahead,” Srinivasan said in a statement after the meeting. Jharkhand batsman Saurabh Tiwary, who was quite impressive in the third edition of the Indian Premier League, was rewarded with a berth in the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led squad along with Bengal pacer Ashok Dinda. The national selectors, who had opted to rest most of the seniors for the tri-series in Zimbabwe, chose a full-strength team, which included seniors like pacer Zaheer Khan, opener Gautam Gambhir and spin spearhead Harbhajan Singh.

Tamil Nadu off-spinner R Ashwin has been retained in the squad. Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha returned to the team at the expense of leg-spinner Amit Mishra, who failed to make much of an impact in the disastrous tour of Zimbabwe. — PTI