Brijesh Tomar to lead Madhya Pradesh

Brijesh Tomar, the right-hand middle-order batsman, has been named captain of a 15-member Madhya Pradesh squad for Ranji Trophy Plate League during the 2007-08 season.

Tomar's elevation to captaincy was necessitated by former captain Abbas Ali's decision to join the Indian Cricket League; a move which made him ineligible to play in matches conducted by the Indian board.

The squad includes Devendra Bundela and Naman Ojha, the wicket-keeper batsman, both former India A players. Ojha, 24, was in the India A team that toured Kenya in 2004.

Madhya Pradesh's bowling attack will be led by Anand Rajan, the promising 20-year-old medium-fast bowler, who also played for India Under-19 as well as the Australia Centre of Excellence in this year's Cricket Australia Emerging Players Tournament. Rajan has taken 37 wickets in nine first-class matches at 27.75, including a five-wicket haul on his debut in 2005.

Madhya Pradesh begin their upcoming domestic campaign by taking on Jharkhand in a Ranji game from November 3.

Madhya Pradesh squad
Brijesh Tomar (capt), Naman Ojha (wk), Mudassir Ojha, Devendra Bundela, Rahul Bakshi, Zafar Ali, Murtaza Ali, Sanjay Pandey, Shantanu Pitre, Anand Rajan, Ashutosh Jadhav, Asif Ali, Jatin Saxena, Jalaj Saxena, Sunil Dholpure
Coach: Amitabh Vijayvergiya