GAUTAM GAMBHIR APPOINTED CAPTAIN FOR ONE DAY SERIES AGAINST THE WEST INDIES: CRICKET NEWS

Gautam Gambhir appointed captain for One Day series against the West Indies: Cricket News

The Indian Cricket Board has appointed left-handed opening batsman Gautam Gambhir as captain of the team for the One Day International (ODI) series against the West Indies that starts later this month. India would travel to the Caribbean for a full series that includes 5 ODI and 3 Test matches.

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eading players like captain MS Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag are set to miss out on the limited-overs led off the tour due to one reason or the other. Sehwag who was leading the Delhi Daredevils in the on-going Indian Premier League is nursing a shoulder injury and is set to undergo an operation in London.

The Chairman of the selection panel former captain and opening batsman Kris Srikkanth told media that the new captain has been appointed, as the senior lot wants to take a rest and recuperate for the demands of the longer format of the game.

The Indian team has been on the road since the start of the year and hardly had time to enjoy its World Cup success which was followed by the Indian Premier League immediately. All leading national players are taking part in the cash rich league representing different franchises in the ten team competition.

"I am confident that we will do well and win the series in the West Indies. The team is well balanced," said Kris Srikkanth, India's chairman of selectors. "Everything is on merit. It's a great opportunity for a lot of players.

The selectors have included two wicket-keepers in the squad. One of them is expected to return after the limited-overs leg. Dhoni would be taking over the captaincy for the Tests which means that one of the keepers would have to be chucked out of the squad.

"On tours, we always take two wicketkeepers. It's a 16-member team and in case of a wicketkeeper getting injured, you have to understand the logistics [of getting a replacement to] in the West Indies [are complicated]." stated Srikkanth.

He was also at the helm of the selection panel that selected the World Cup winning team at the start of this year.

This is not Gambhir's first shot at leading India - he was the captain when India beat New Zealand 5-0 in ODIs last year.

The schedule of the series is a hectic one for the Indians they would start of the tour with a T20 and follow that with a 5 match ODI series. The tour begins with the first T20 match on June 4, and ten days after the hosts end their Test match series against Pakistan.

The composition of the squad is based around the conditions that the Indians are expected to encounter on the tour, the wickets for the Pakistan series have been far slow and low where batting has been a tough proposition. The hosts have struggled to get runs at ease and are yet to post a hundred in any international game against the Pakistanis.

The Indians have enjoyed considerable success off late in the Caribbean they would start this tour with the confidence that they can make the difference against the Islanders who have been struggling to make an impact at the international level off late, they would have to be at their very best if they are to challenge the top team in the world even in their own backyard.

ODI Squad: Gautam Gambhir (captain), Suresh Raina, Parthiv Patel (wk), Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, S Badrinath, Rohit Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, R Ashwin, Praveen Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Munaf Patel, Vinay Kumar, Yusuf Pathan, Amit Mishra, Wriddhiman Saha (wk).