New Delhi: Shikhar Dhawan, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Ashish Nehra – No, this is not an Indian side without Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni, nor it is a rejigged line-up of an IPL team. This is the North Zone team for the Syed Mushtaq Ali inter-zonal T20 tournament, to be held in Mumbai from February 12-16.
And the list does not end there. The 15-member North Zone squad comprises of as many as seven current India internationals – Mandeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Parvez Rasool and Rishabh Pant being the others.
Harbhajan has been named the captain of the star-studded North Zone team.
The decision was taken at a meeting of North Zone Selection Committee held at Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) under the chairmanship of Nikhil Chopra.
The selectors from North Zone Associations – Ashender Kaul (JKCA), Rajesh Bawa (HCA), Ashok Thakur (HPCA), Wg. Cdr Deepak Ahluwalia (SSCB), Sarandeep Singh, who was a Special Invitee and Siddharth Sahib Singh, the Convenor – attended the meeting.
The selectors sent out a strong signal by naming a full strength squad for a tournament which rarely features big names such as these and that too in one side.
Needless to say it will yet again provide a great opportunity for the likes of Shikhar Dhawan and Gautam Gambhir to stake a claim for the vulnerable opening slot of the Indian team, particularly in the shorter format.
With the IPL slated to kick-start from the first week of April, hard hitting wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant, leg spinner Yuxvendra Chahal will look to carry their wonderful form and flex their muscles.
North Zone will take on South Zone in their first match on February 12th at CCI, Mumbai.
The North Zone squad: Harbhajan Singh (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Mandeep Singh, Rishabh Pant/Unmukt Chand (wk), AR Pachera, Rishi Dhawan, Mayank Dagar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Parvez Rasool, Umar Nazir, Pradeep Sangwan, Mohit Sharma, Ashish Nehra.
Standbyes: Shivam Chauhan, Shubham Khajuria, Manpreet Gony, Manzoor Dar, Manan Sharma, Milind Kumar.
Support Staff: Badrinath Prathi (Physio), Nishanta Bordoloi (Trainer).