BCCI keen on sending Test specialists to South Africa ahead of schedule
BCCI is hoping to send Zaheer Khan and other Test specialists to South Africa ahead of the scheduled series so they can get acclimatized to the conditions.
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The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is keen to send Test specialists, including seasoned fast bowler Zaheer Khan, to South Africa earlier than scheduled for acclimatization, if logistics work out in its favour.ÂÂ
"We are trying to send not only Zaheer but all others in the Test squad too who are not part of the ODI team early to South Africa. The issue is logistics over the number of available hotel rooms," BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel told PTI on Saturday.
Zaheer Khan, Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Wridhiman Saha and Pragyan Ojha are part of only the Test squad picked by the selection committee on November 25.
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"Zaheer will leave one or two days later," informed Mumbai Cricket Association's secretary Nitin Dalal, making it clear that the left-arm pace bowler would not be available for champions Mumbai's subsequent league games in Ranji Trophy.
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The ODI squad comprises 16 members, including Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Mohit Sharma and Amit Mishra, while the Test team is made up of 17 players.
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The ODI squad is set to depart from Mumbai on December 1 night. The ODI series commences on December 5 and ends with the third and final game on December 11 followed by the two-Test series from December 18 to 30.