Shami Ahmed gets ODI call-up

The BCCI’s senior national selection committee on Sunday chose fast-medium bowler Ishant Sharma in place of Abhimanyu Mithun for the two T20 matches against Pakistan to be played at Bangalore on Dec. 25 and at Ahmedabad on Dec. 28.

This is the only change from the squad that was picked for the two-match series against England which concluded here on Saturday. Ishant has been included in the ODI team. Virender Sehwag has not made himself available for the T20 matches.

The selectors though — and in keeping with their willingness to bring in new faces — have included Bengal medium-pacer Shami Ahmed in the 15-member squad for the three One-Day Internationals against Pakistan to be played at Chennai (Dec. 30), Kolkata (Jan. 3) and New Delhi (Jan. 6). The selectors have also recalled leg-spinner Amit Mishra for the ODI series.

The team for two T20 matches: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt.), Gautam Gambhir, Ajinkya Rahane, Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ashoke Dinda, Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Parvinder Awana, Piyush Chawla and Ambati Rayudu.

For three ODIs: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt.), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Ashoke Dinda, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shami Ahmed and Amit Mishra.