Mumbai: Tamil Nadu batsman S Badrinath, Karnataka fast bolwer Abhimanyu Mithun and Bengal wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha have been included in India’s 15-man squad for the first test against South Africa starting February 6, after injuries during the recently concluded tour of Bangladesh ruled out Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh and S Sreesanth.

Struggling with injuries to key players, Indian selectors chose to infuse young blood instead of going for more experienced players like Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina. Even when it came to replacing fast bowler S Sreesanth, they picked A Mithun instead of experienced bowlers like Ashish Nehra and R P Singh. The emphasis was clearly on looking at the future prospects and not bring back players who have been given enough opportunities.

S Badrinath is, in fact, virtually guaranteed a place in the playing XI as he is one of only six specialist batsmen named in the squad. Bengal wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha replaced Dinesh Karthik in the team as the reserve wicket-keeper. VVS Laxman, who had injured his hand during the Chittagong test, was part of the squad after being deemed fit.

“I have been waiting for this chance for a long time and was really looking forward to it,” Badrinath told PTI. “I am not under any pressure when it comes to playing either Test or short versions of the game. I am well experienced to handle the different formats of the game. I always remain positive. I am geared up to sort out any situations against any attack and will try to be totally fit, both physically and mentally. I’m trying to maintain my form and grab the opportunity in a challenging series.”

For Wriddhiman Saha, who has played for India U-19 and India A teams earlier, besides being part of the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League, this was the biggest moment of his career. “It is a fantastic feeling,” he said. “I knew that the team selection was today, but I clearly didn’t expect to be picked. It’s a dream come true. If I get the opportunity [to play], I will try and make full use of it. After Sourav Ganguly, several players from Bengal had got a look-in for the Indian team, but they could not cement their places. But I will try to perform well to stay there as long as I can.”

Tamil Nadu batsman Murali Vijay, who toured Bangladesh as a reserve opener, retained his spot in the squad and is likely to play in the middle order like he did in the second Test against Bangladesh when he played as a replacement for Laxman.

Former Indian skipper Rahul Dravid had fractured his jaw after scoring a century in the second Test against Bangladesh in Dhaka while Yuvraj suffered a wrist injury during India’s 2-0 rout of Bangladesh and both have been ruled out of the highly-anticipated two-Test series between the top two teams in the official Test rankings.

“Rahul Dravid has been advised rest for three weeks,” an Indian cricket board statement said on Thursday. “Yuvraj Singh has also been ruled out of the Test series due to an injury to his left wrist.”

However, the long injury list meant the selectors picked the squad only for the first Test, which begins in Nagpur on February 6. They will reassess the fitness of players and the performance of the replacements before naming the side for the second Test.

Meanwhile, the Board President’s XI squad for the two-day match against South Africa was also named. Rohit Sharma was appointed captain while Mithun was also part of that squad in order to give him a look-in ahead of the Test.

India squad for first Test: MS Dhoni (capt/wk), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, S Badrinath, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Amit Mishra, Pragyan Ojha, Ishant Sharma, M Vijay, Sudeep Tyagi, Abhimanyu Mithun, Wriddhiman Saha.

Board President’s XI: Abhinav Mukund, Parthiv Patel (wk), Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma (capt), Manish Pandey, Cheteshwar Pujara, Abhishek Nayar, Piyush Chawla, R Ashwin, R Vinay Kumar, Abhimanyu Mithun, Shikhar Dhawan, Umesh Yadav, Manpreet Gony.

Tagged with: Abhimanyu Mithun, India, Mumbai, Rahul Dravid, S Badrinath, S Sreesanth, South Africa, VVS Laxman, Wriddhiman Saha, Yuvraj Singh

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