Dec 4, 2008

Sport - Cricket;India recall Yuvraj for England Tests

India's cricket selectors resurrected the Test career of Yuvraj Singh on Thursday by naming him for the two-match series against England starting next week.

The left-hander was included in a 15-man squad for the series that England said will go ahead pending a security clearance, following last week's attacks on Mumbai by armed militants that killed 188 and injured nearly 300.

The series hinges on the report by England's security advisor Reg Dickason on the facilities in Chennai, which hosts the first Test from December 11, and Mohali, the venue of the second Test from December 19.

Yuvraj smashed 325 runs, including two centuries, at an average of 108.33 in five one-day internationals against England last month as India blanked the tourists 5-0.

The last two games of what was supposed to be a seven-match series were called off as England flew home after the Mumbai attacks.

Yuvraj, who turns 28 on the second day of the Chennai Test, returns to the Test side after being ignored for the tour of Sri Lanka in July-August and the home series against world champions Australia in October-November.

He replaces another left-hander, former captain Sourav Ganguly, who retired from international cricket last month after India's 2-0 series win over Australia.

Yuvraj, a veteran of 222 one-day internationals, has played just 23 Tests since his debut in 2003, scoring 1,050 runs at 32.81 with three centuries.

The squad, announced in an Indian cricket board release, retains most players that took part in India's winning campaign against Ricky Ponting's Australians.

Left-arm slow bowler Pragyan Ojha, who has yet to play a Test after five one-day appearances, is the only new face in the squad as a back-up to frontline spinners Harbhajan Singh and Amit Mishra.

He replaces seamer Rudra Pratap Singh.

India's 15-man Test squad:

Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Venkatsai Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Amit Mishra, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Munaf Patel, Pragyan Ojha, Subramaniam Badrinath, Murali Vijay.

Coach: Gary Kirsten (RSA).

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