Mongia contender for national team: Borde

The selection committee chairman Chandu Borde said in Vijayawada on Friday that Test discard and stumper Nayan Mongia is a contender for selection for the national team after his name had been cleared from the murky match-fixing scandal.

Speaking to newsmen during the Duleep trophy match, Borde said Vijay Dahiya is young and showing up well but needs exposure and experience. He said the selection committee was looking for a quality spinner in view of the forthcoming Australian tour to India.

"We wish that Anil Kumble will be fit for the crucial Australian series", he said. He also said he did not know anything about Rahul Dravid's finger injury which forced him to skip the Duleep trophy match.

Commenting on the docile tracks, Borde admitted that performances on such pitches can give a misleading impression but "what we are looking for is in terms of the attitude of the player during his innings and also of the bowlers' willingness to experiment on non-responsive wickets."

Borde said that Sachin Tendulkar informed him that he would be available for the Duleep Trophy match against South Zone and for the match between Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai and the touring Australians next month.