The Hindu : Kaif, Mongia to stay on

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jul 17, 2002

Sport

Sport - Cricket

Kaif, Mongia to stay on

By Our Sports Reporter

KOLKATA JULY 16. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has put off the return of the two one-day specialists, Mohammad Kaif and Dinesh Mongia, and decided to retain the two batsmen in the Test squad touring England now.

Addressing a news conference after an emergency meeting of the senior selection committee that was convened here on Tuesday to take stock of the situation following the Indian team's "resounding success'' in the NatWest Trophy, the BCCI president, Jagmohan Dalmiya, said the decision was necessitated by the need to keep the squad together ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy.

The selectors at the meeting felt it necessary to keep the entire one-day squad involved in active cricket and in proper physical condition in order to be in shape for the ICC tournament in Sri Lanka, which starts almost immediately after the Indian team returns from its English assignment (on September 9), he said.

The third Indian batsman, Yuveraj Singh, will however return home in order to recover from an injury on the little finger of his right hand, which he hurt in the final of the triangular series in England. The report received from the team physiotherapist, Andrew Leipus, suggests a three-week rest followed by physiotherapy to help Yuveraj regain full mobility of his injured finger.

The meeting also deliberated on a rotation system that would allow enough rest for batsmen and bowlers who are in both the one-day and Test teams. Hence, some of them "may require rest by rotation,'' Mr. Dalmiya said.

The retention of Kaif and Mongia did not mean the Test line-up would change, said the president, who added that the "rest by rotation'' theory was likely to be applicable in the first-class matches in between the Tests.

In case the need arises to "rest some of the pacemen by rotation, one of the bowlers from the Indian under-19 team currently touring UK could be included in the squad. If required the Broad can also send one bowler from the country to play the first-class matches,'' he said.

All such action has been prompted by the need to arrest stress and burn-outs ahead of the Champions Trophy and more importantly, the World Cup early next year.

While answering queries on the International Cricket Council's (ICC) stand in rejecting the call of the captains of Test playing nations to reduce the number of matches in international fixtures, the BCCI president said the international governing body's schedule was too tight and its 10-year programme was making the situation difficult. He, however, added that the Indian board sympathises with the players in this regard, but had no option other than going by ICC's format.

India has a hectic programme in the run-up to the World Cup and the BCCI has tried its best to reduce the load on the players by making West Indies and New Zealand — who have engagements with India after the Champions Trophy — boards "agree to a changed format that reduces the number of Tests while increasing the one-dayers," he said.

Mr. Dalmiya added that he had put a similar reasoning before the English board but the suggestions were not accepted.

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