Sports India

Sachin Tendulkar will return to the India team for next month’s one-day series in Sri Lanka following the shoulder injury that has sidelined him since March.

Selectors have included India’s premier batsman in a 15-man squad for the series involving Sri Lanka and South Africa to be played in Colombo from August 14-29.

In another change to the squad that lost the one-day series 4-1 in West Indies in May, all-rounder Dinesh Mongia has been recalled after a year’s absence.

Meanwhile, opener Robin Uthappa and middle-order batsman Venugopal Rao have been dropped.

“We are looking at Mongia as an all-rounder, especially his ability to bowl left-arm spin,” said chairman of selectors Kiran More.

“We have two off-spinners (Harbhajan Singh and Ramesh Powar) and we want more options in the spin department.”

Leg-spinner Anil Kumble missed out on a recall but More hinted at his possible return in the near future. “We know what we are targeting, we have something in mind for him,” More said.

Kumble, 35, is India’s most successful one-day bowler with 329 wickets but has played little limited overs cricket since the last World Cup.

The squad will undergo a two-phased camp in Bangalore before leaving for Sri Lanka on August 10.

Squad: Rahul Dravid (captain), Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wicketkeeper), Suresh Raina, Ajit Agarkar, Irfan Pathan, Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, Munaf Patel, Harbhajan Singh, Ramesh Powar, Dinesh Mongia, Rudra Pratap Singh.

Schedule:

Aug. 14: Sri Lanka v South Africa (day/night)

Aug. 16: Sri Lanka v India (day/night)

Aug. 19: India v South Africa (day)

Aug. 21: Sri Lanka v South Africa (day)

Aug. 24: Sri Lanka v India (day/night)

Aug. 26: India v South Africa (day/night)

Aug. 29: Final (day/night)