Sehwag, Srinath return for second Test against England

Mohali, India, December 6: Virender Sehwag and Javagal Srinath have been named in India's team for the second cricket Test against England, starting at Ahmedabad on Tuesday.

India are leading 1-0 in the three-Test series following their 10-wicket victory over the tourists in the first match here on Thursday.

Middle-order batsman Sehwag returned to the squad after serving a one-match ban imposed on him by match-referee Mike Denness of England for excessive appealing in the second Test against South Africa on India's recent tour.

The 23-year-old was at the centre of a crisis that threatened to split world cricket until the game's governing body and Indian authorities reached a compromise on Friday.

Under the deal, India agreed to a directive from the International Cricket Council (ICC) to keep Sehwag out of the first Test against England in return for a review of Denness's decisions.

India had earlier maintained that the batsman had served the ban by missing the third Test against South Africa, but the ICC declared the match unofficial after Denness was removed as referee by both the teams.

Fast bowler Srinath missed the Mohali Test due to a broken finger after being struck by a rising ball from South African fast bowler Mortantau Hayward in the unofficial match.

The Indian selectors on Thursday said Sehwag had returned in place of Jacob Martin, while Srinath had replaced injured all-rounder Sanjay Bangar.

Indian squad: Sourav Ganguly (capt), Rahul Dravid, Shiv Sundar Das, Deep Dasgupta, Sachin Tendulkar, Venkatsai Laxman, Virender Sehwag, Javagal Srinath, Iqbal Siddiqui, Tinu Yohannan, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Sarandeep Singh, Connor Williams.