Yuvraj out of WI tour

India's middle order star Yuvraj Singh has ruled himself out of the West Indies tour as he is suffering from illness. Yuvraj, who was the Man of the Series in the recently concluded World Cup, has written to the BCCI informing the board about the latest blow. 

Gautham Gambhir, who was recently in the news for his injured shoulder, has also been ruled out of the entire Windies tour. 

Suresh Raina will lead the Indian team in the limited overs series beginning June 4 and he will be supported by Harbhajan Singh who has been named the vice-captain while Shikhar Dhawan and Manoj Tiwary have been included in the side to replace Gambhir and Yuvraj. 

India is already without seniors like MS Dhoni, Virender Sehwag and Zaheer Khan as they have been rested for the ODI series. 

Sachin Tendulkar, who was rested for the ODI series, has also requested to be left out for the Test squad as he wants to spend time with his family. 

The team for the Tests beginning June 20 at Kingston was also named with MS Dhoni returning to his role as skipper while VVS Laxman has been named his deputy. 

Virat Kohli, who has been consistent in the shorter formats, has also been rewarded with a Test cap, while Subramaniam Badrinath has been recalled after scoring heavily in the domestic season. The selectors have also included young left hand batsman Abhinav Mukund and wicket keeper Parthiv Patel, while Cheteshwar Pujara is yet to recover completely from the knee injury he sustained during the IPL. 

"Tendulkar requested that he be allowed to spend time with his family. He will therefore not play the Test series," Indian cricket board secretary N. Srinivasan said in a statement. 

"However, he will be available for the full tour of England that follows," he added. 

Speaking about Gambhir and Yuvraj, Srinivasan said: "Gambhir will be unavailable for the full tour of the West Indies on account of his shoulder injury." 

"Yuvraj will also be unavailable for the full tour. He is suffering from an upper respiratory infection, with a small patch of pneumonitis in the left lung," he mentioned. 

I never put club before country: Gambhir

Under fire Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Gautham Gambhir has dismissed claims that he put club before country, saying he was not aware of the extent of the injury. Gambhir said he played through pain right from the World Cup final but added that he would not have played in the Indian Premier League if he had known the nature of his injury. Gambhir is now almost certain to miss out on the ODI series in West Indies, where he was appointed captain, and could also be left out of the Test squad if he is found unfit. 

"I felt some discomfort during the World Cup final, while running between the wickets. It didn't seem major as it wasn't very painful at the time. Any professional cricketer, playing all three formats, will tell you that niggles are all part of the system." said the left hander. 

He also said that no cricketer would risk his career by feigning injuries and said it was ridiculous to claim that he put money before country. 

"Any modern cricketer knows that by feigning or risking injury he is only jeopardising his own career," Gambhir told the Hindustan Times. "It is imaginative to say I was covering my injury to play in the IPL. I played with discomfort without realising the gravity of my injury. As a leader, my team needed me, but to say I preferred club over country is ridiculous." 

Gambhir defended himself by pointing out instances in the past where he played through pain when the country needed him. 

"I know how hard I have worked for my national cap and what it means to me. Not many people know that in 2008 I played the Ranji Trophy final against Uttar Pradesh with a swollen left hand. Earlier this year, I played the last Test of the South Africa series with an injured left hand. The swelling was so bad I could barely wear a glove. I am proud of the 93 and 64 I got on one of the most difficult pitches. It is embarrassing to publicise my commitment but I have no choice." 

Gambhir said he felt some pain while playing against Mumbai Indians in the Eden gardens but played in the eliminator as he had not discussed the seriousness of his injury with physio Andrew Leipus before the game. 

"There was an instance during Sunday's clash against Mumbai Indians when I threw the ball from deep point and felt pain in my right shoulder. I thought it would be fine with a bit of icing or at most I thought I'd get a scan in Mumbai. 

"I had an MRI in Mumbai and Leipus got the report. We didn't discuss it as I was preparing for Sunday's game, which was a knockout. It will be misleading to blame the BCCI, Andrew or the Kolkata management for this. I don't think anybody intended to cover up things here." 

The Indian opener said it would be a huge setback if he was to miss out on the tour to West Indies. 

"I am so keen to lead the side that even during the breaks between IPL matches I'd discuss with Yusuf Pathan our strategy for conditions in the West Indies. Now let us see how it goes. I hear there will be a fitness test and only post that things will get decided