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Murali Kartik in squad for next two ODIs

Murali Kartik has been recalled for the fourth and fifth ODIs against Australia

Cricinfo staff
05-Oct-2007


Murali Kartik had a good season with Middlesex and earned his recall into India's one-day side against Australia © Getty Images
India have made one change to their 15-member squad for the fourth and fifth ODIs against Australia, bringing in left-arm spinner Murali Kartik in place of offspinner Ramesh Powar, said BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah.
Kartik played for Middlesex during the 2007 season and took 51 wickets at 24.96 from 12 Championship matches, including 9 for 73 in an innings victory against Glamorgan at Lord's. In the Pro40 competition, Kartik took 12 wickets at 20.75 from eight games. Based on his performances the county signed him up for the next season as well.
Powar, who enjoyed a successful tour to Ireland and England earlier this year, wasn't successful in the first two ODIs at Banglaore and Kochi, conceding 80 runs off 11 overs without taking a wicket and was dropped for the third game in Hyderabad. "A left-arm spinner is always helpful in Indian conditions," said India's captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, "and since Kartik is also experienced, I am sure he will indeed be helpful"
Shah also said that Sourav Ganguly was fit for the third one-day international but was not picked for the match because he did not fit into the best team combination. However, Dhoni put forth a contradictory view in the press conference that followed the third one-dayer in Hyderabad: "He (Ganguly) was very eager to play but the team thought that he should be rested for this match as well because anything can happen on the field and then we might have to rest him for more matches. So that's why he did not play."
Ganguly had played the first match but missed the second ODI because of a hamstring strain. He took part in a training session on the eve of the Hyderabad match and was passed fit. He was, however, named in the squad for the next two games.
Meanwhile, the selectors have retained the winning ICC World Twenty20 squad for the one-off Twenty20 international at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on October 20. However, legspinner Piyush Chawla is the only exclusion as he is yet to recover from an ankle injury which had ruled him out of all seven one-dayers. No replacement has been named.
Squad for 4th and 5th ODIs
Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Robin Uthappa, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt & wk), Rohit Sharma, Dinesh Karthik, Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Murali Kartik, Sreesanth, RP Singh, Zaheer Khan
Twenty 20 international squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt & wk), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Robin Uthappa, Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, Dinesh Karthik, Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, RP Singh, Sreesanth, Ajit Agarkar, Yusuf Pathan, Joginder Sharma