Mumbai, February 12
National selectors today gambled on out-of-form batsman Virender Sehwag and all-rounder Irfan Pathan by including them in India’s 15-member World Cup squad, which contains no surprises from the team that has performed with mixed results for the past one year.

Both Sehwag and Pathan have been woefully out of touch for a long time but still managed to get the nod based on their past record and match-winning abilities.

BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah said the Delhi opener’s inclusion in the squad was on the cards after captain Rahul Dravid had made it clear that “past record” would be taken into account while finalising the squad for the mega event to be held in the West Indies in March-April.

“Sehwag has played in different positions and has the ability to play in different conditions, it’s a challenge for him. The onus is on him after being given a chance by the selectors,” said Dravid who along with coach Greg Chappell attended the selection meeting.

The squad, which has Sachin Tendulkar as vice-captain, contains two specialist spinners and five seamers. The team has two wicketkeepers, with Dinesh Karthik also finding a berth on the basis of his batting form.

Expressing satisfaction about the composition of the team, Dravid said the senior players have to “stand up and be counted” for India to be successful at the mega event.

“It is about the form and the performances, how well we perform at the World Cup. The focus would be there,” he said.

Dravid, who will feature in his third World Cup, said the team had a fine blend of youth and experience, and the tour to the West Indies last year should be of help.

“We have played lot of cricket and experience of having played in West Indies would be good to us. We are quite confident of doing well in the World Cup, play well in the Super Eight stage and make the semis. From there on we can have a shot at the title.”

Vengsarkar, who had earlier said of Sehwag being used in the middle-order, did not rule out the possibility of him batting as an opener if the opportunity provides.

The former India captain said that it was unfortunate for off-spinner Ramesh Powar not to find a place while Anil Kumble has done reasonably well and was an experienced bowler.

Munaf Patel, who did not played in the series against West Indies which India won 3-1 due to an ankle injury, impressed in his comeback against Sri Lanka in the opening two one-dayers and deservingly found a place in the touring party.

Shah said that left-arm pacer Rudra Pratap Singh and middle-order batsman Suresh Raina have been included “as cover” for Pathan and Yuvraj for the remaining two matches against Sri Lanka.

On the selection of Pathan, the Baroda bowler who was sent home midway through the tour of South Africa to sort out his bowling, Vengsarkar said, “he was injured in the past, he has done well and he is fit now.”

On Raina’s exclusion, Dravid said, “at the end of the day, a lot of players select themselves on how you have performed. Not only Raina but also others will feel unlucky to miss out in the 15 but at the end of the day few will have disappointments.”

Six players — Robin Uthappa, Karthik, Dhoni, Sreesanth, Pathan and Patel — will be playing in their first World Cup.

India are drawn with Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Bermuda in Group B of the preliminary league. The top two teams will move to the second round, Super Eight. The team will assemble in Mumbai on February 26 before leaving late night on February 28. — PTI

New Delhi, February 12
Former cricketers today welcomed the “bold move” to include an out-of-form Virender Sehwag in India’s World Cup squad, saying that the swashbuckling batsman had match-winning abilities and could not be ignored for such a big event

Many of the players also felt that Sehwag would be more effective as an opener, even as they felt that off-spinner Ramesh Powar was unfortunate not to make it to the team.

Here are the views of some Indian ex-cricketers:

Kiran More: Sehwag is a very useful player. He is not in the best of form but you take such players for the big events. There are no surprises in the squad. It would have been a tough call for the selectors to leave out Ramesh Powar.

Robin Uthappa and Dinesh Karthik will be a surprise element for the opposition. Robin has done well, has some solid performances to back him. Dinesh did outstandingly on the South Africa tour.

The balance is good, with seven batsmen and seven bowlers and two wicketkeepers.

Fielding is going to be crucial. It is not going to be easy for the bowlers in one-day cricket and they will need good support from the fielders.

Abbas Ali Baig: There is no doubt that Sehwag is a match- winner. He can be really destructive if he gets going. His off-spin will also come handy, particularly on the slow tracks in the West Indies.

I am generally happy with the team. Powar is a little unfortunate to miss out on a berth. I would have taken him considering the slow tracks in the Caribbean.

Chetan Chauhan: Sehwag should open, that is where he has scored most of his runs. He has the natural instincts of an opener.

“He is a player who can change the complexion of the game. If he stays at the crease for 15 overs, the whole scenario changes. All fast bowlers fear him and teams make special plans to get him out.

Ajit Wadekar: The squad is a balanced one. Selectors did not have many options because of the lack of form and not so great performances from other players.

To include Sehwag in the side is a bold decision. But he should be used as an opener with Sourav because he has made a lot of runs in that position. He is an attacking player. His off-spin would be handy given the conditions there.

The selection could have been better had they picked Powar rather than second wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik because as the tournament would progress the wickets would get slower and slower. Spinners would play an important role at that stage. Besides Dhoni, we have Dravid and Uthappa who can keep wickets.

S. Venkatraghavan: Going by the West Indies and Sri Lanka series, the selectors have done their best because I don’t think they have anything else to go by.

However, not giving chance to VVS Laxman, Mohammad Kaif and Murali Kartik is a point to ponder over. Murali, especially, could have given variation to the attack and he is also an aggressive batsman.

Chandu Borde: The team composition is more or less on expected lines. But those who are injured, their fitness should be gauged. If the injury happens to be serious then it will be a problem for the team.

Sehwag should open the innings and not bat in the middle order. He loves the ball coming onto him because he hits through the line.

Erapalli Prasanna: In bowling, I would have preferred Powar in view of the fact that Harbhajan Singh has not shown his brilliance of late and the (spin) bowling will totally depend on Anil Kumble, which is a dicey composition.

Syed Kirmani: The team has a fine blend of youth and experience. They have to perform to their ability and show consistency. Of course, luck has a part to play, but they have to show total sincerity and honesty for positive results.

K. Srikkanth: The team is okay as most of the players select themselves. But I think Kaif is unlucky not to make the cut. — PTI

Colombo, February 12
Sri Lanka today named middle-order batsmen Russel Arnold and Chamara Silva along with paceman Nuwan Kulasekara in a proven squad for the World Cup in the Caribbean.

“We feel this is the right combination for the World Cup,” Chairman of Selectors Asantha de Mel told AFP soon after the 15-man squad was approved by the Sports Ministry.

Mahela Jayawardene will lead the squad which includes veteran opener Sanath Jayasuriya and spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan.

The selectors decided on the World Cup squad soon after Sri Lanka recorded a thrilling five-run win over India in the second one-dayer in Rajkot yesterday.

Arnold and Silva took the last two batting spots and Kulasekara was included as the fifth member of the pace attack led by the seasoned Chaminda Vaas.

Silva earned a place due to his excellent form in New Zealand in January and Arnold and Kulasekara returned to the squad after good performances for Sri Lanka A on a recent tour of the Caribbean.

Since a tour of India in 2005 when Sri Lanka were routed 1-6 in the one-dayers, Jayawardene’s men have won 21 of their 41 one-dayers and six out of 11 Tests, a majority of them away from home.

Squad: Mahela Jayawardene (capt), Kumar Sangakkara, Sanath Jayasuriya, Upul Tharanga, Marvan Atapattu, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Russel Arnold, Chamara Silva, Chaminda Vaas, Farveez Maharoof, Lasith Malinga, Dilhara Fernando, Nuwan Kulasekara, Muttiah Muralitharan and Malinga Bandara. — AFP

Mohali, February 12
The North Zone Ranji One-Day Tournament was rescheduled after a meeting of the BCCI’s North Zonal Committee at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium here today.

The three matches which were scheduled to be held today at Mohali, Chandigarh and Ludhiana will be played as per the new schedule.

However, the three matches — Punjab vs Haryana (Mohali), Himachal Pradesh vs Services (Ludhiana) and Delhi vs J&K (Chandigarh) — which were abandoned due to rain on February 10 would not be replayed. All teams have been given two points each for the abandoned matches.

According to the new schedule, the two matches which were earlier to be held at Ludhiana on February 16 and 18 will now take place at Dhruv Pandove Stadium, Patiala.

Meanwhile, the secretary-general of the Haryana Cricket Association (HCA), Mr Ranbir Singh Mahendra, has criticised the rescheduling of the tournament.

Talking to TNS on the phone, Mr Mahendra said, “Nobody bothered to inform us about the North Zone’s Fixtures Committee meeting for rescheduling the tournament. We did not even receive any phone call in this regard. We object strongly to this rescheduling.”

Mr Sunil Dev, convener of BCCI’s North Zone Committee, said he had talked to representatives of various participating state associations on the phone. However, he admitted that Mr Mahendra could not be contacted despite repeated attempts.

Revised schedule: February 16: Punjab vs Delhi (Mohali), Services vs J&K (Patiala), HP vs Haryana (Chandigarh).

February 18: Punjab vs Services (Mohali), Delhi vs Haryana (Patiala), HP vs J&K (Chandigarh).

February 20: Haryana vs J&K (Ludhiana), Punjab vs HP (Mohali), Delhi vs Services (Chandigarh).

February 21: Delhi vs HP (Mohali), Punjab vs J&K (Chandigarh), Haryana vs Services (Ludhiana).

Chandigarh, February 12
Maratha Warriors outplayed defending champions Bangalore Lions 3-1 in the inaugural match of the second leg of the third Premier Hockey League at the Sector 42 Hockey Stadium here today.

Both teams had equal share of the exchanges but once the Warriors took the lead early in the second quarter, they dominated the match with greater ball possession and better team coordination.

The Lions’ Len Aiyappa had a wretched day as he virtually gifting two goals to the Warriors with defensive lapses.

In the 19th minute, Imran Warsi sent a long in-flight ball on the left flank to Shivendra Singh and the speedy striker dashed into the circle and took a shot. However, it was blocked by Lions’ custodian Bharat Chetri. On the rebound, Shivendra tapped the ball in (1-0).

In the 31st minute, the Warriors increased the lead following their second penalty corner. Australian Jamie Dwyer’s accurate and fast push was perfectly set up for Warsi by stopper Ajmer Singh. The Pakistani’s furious shot beat the goalkeeper (2-0).

The Warriors continued to exert pressure but the Lions pulled one back through a fast counter-attack.

In the 46th minute, the Lions’ Tushar Khandekar send a long ball to Rehan Butt on the right flank. Rehan sent a defence-splitting cross into the circle that was intercepted by Hari Prasad, who made no mistake to reduce the margin (1-2).

The Warriors, however, sealed the match in the 49th minute. A miscued free hit by a Lions’ player saw the Warriors’ Sandeep Antil gain possession of the ball. He dashed into the circle and effected a quick shot. Goalie Chetri fumbled with the block and the ball ballooned up. Hardeep Singh tapped in a waist-high ball to make it 3-1. Hardeep was later declared the lion of the match.

After the match, an elated Hardeep said, “I am happy to be part of the team that outplayed last year’s champions. Today, we made a strategy to counter-attack only. We decided to target Aiyappa, who unfortunately missed a couple of good chances.”

Guwahati, February 12
An injury time goal ensured defending champions Punjab beat Haryana 1-0 in a Group A match and keep their semifinal hopes alive in the men’s football competition in the 33rd National Games here today.

Lalhlimthare Mahlima struck the winner in the 93rd minute in Punjab’s second outing at Nehru Stadium here. They lost their opening match to Meghalaya 1-2.

Punjab dominated throughout the match against their neighbours and were unlucky not to have won by a bigger margin. Santosh Kujur was denied in the 10th minute as his powerful shot from near the penalty box beat the Haryana goalkeeper but hit the crosspiece.

Meghalaya topped the group with six points from two wins while the winner between Bengal and Punjab tomorrow will decide who occupy second spot and enter the semifinals.

Earlier, Maharashtra defeated Kerala 2-0 in Group B through goals from Jinto Jose (79 minute) and Prabesh Janardan (89th).