Rohit and Ojha included for Sri Lanka Tests

Pragyan Ojha and Rohit Sharma are the new faces in the Indian Test squad.

India have included uncapped players Rohit Sharma and Pragyan Ojha in the 16-member squad for the three-Test series in Sri Lanka. Yuvraj Singh has been left out, while Gautam Gambhir wins the opener's slot ahead of Wasim Jaffer. Zaheer Khan also returns to the team after injury niggles ruled him out of international action so far this year. With Mahendra Singh Dhoni opting out, the selectors have named two wicketkeepers in Dinesh Karthik and Parthiv Patel. The selection committee also announced the 30 probables for the Champions Trophy in September.

A source in the BCCI said the selectors decided to give Yuvraj"a break" with an eye on the amount of cricket coming up and considering the slim chances of him getting a slot in the final XI for the three Tests in Sri Lanka. "The selectors decided to give him a break, considering the amount of cricket he has played recently and the cricket that is coming up in which he will play a crucial role," the source told Cricinfo. "Also, they felt it would have been difficult to accommodate him in the final XI for the Tests in a line-up that already has Tendulkar, Dravid, Laxman and Ganguly. These were the two main factors that were considered in Yuvraj's case." Unlike Dhoni, Yuvraj did not ask for a break, but it was felt that he needed one, the source said.

Yuvraj marked his comeback to the Test team with a 169 against Pakistan in Bangalore last year, but was dropped from the XI after scoring 19 runs in four innings during the Test series in Australia. Yuvraj is also susceptible against spin, another factor that could have gone against him, given the conditions in Sri Lanka.

Irfan Pathan, Piyush Chawla, Mohammad Kaif and Ramesh Powar are the other omissions from the Test squad that featured in the home series against South Africa. Harbhajan Singh returns to international cricket after completing his five-match ODI ban for slapping Sreesanth, who wasn't in the reckoning as he's still recovering from a side strain. The squad consists of seven batsmen, two wicketkeepers, four fast bowlers and three spinners.

Test squad for Sri Lanka Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, Rohit Sharma, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Parthiv Patel (wk), Anil Kumble (capt), Harbhajan Singh, Ishant Sharma, Zaheer Khan, RP Singh, Munaf Patel, Pragyan Ojha.

Part of the winning ICC World Twenty20 side in South Africa, Rohit impressed in the CB Series in Australia earlier this year and continued his form for the Deccan Chargers in the IPL. Ojha, the Hyderabad left-arm spinner, recently earned a call-up to the ODI side. "It's a dream come true. Any cricketer would want and expect to play for the country," Ojha told Cricinfo.

"I didn't particularly think about the Sri Lanka series but I knew if I keep bowling well I would get a chance. No wild celebrations now as I want to perform on the field. I will be concentrating on my flight and changes in pace and will generally try to bowl like I do in the Ranji Trophy."

Gambhir forces his way back into the Test team on the string of impressive performances in limited-overs cricket and domestic tournaments. He replaces Jaffer, who's had a poor run in Tests since the Eden Gardens Test against Pakistan last year, in which he scored a double-century.

Parthiv last played for India in October 2004; since then Karthik and Dhoni have won favour for a spot in the Indian team. Karthik last played the Bangalore Test against Pakistan, which Dhoni had to skip due to an ankle injury. Karthik had played as a specialist opener in Test series in Bangladesh and England last year, and in the home Tests against Pakistan.

Karthik was surprised with his selection. "I didn't know if Dhoni was playing the series or not. It feels great that they have given me a chance." he told Cricinfo. "I don't see this a stop-gap arrangement for Dhoni but will look at this as a great opportunity to perform and prove my credentials.

Champions Trophy probables Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Sachin Tendulkar, Robin Uthappa, Suresh Raina, Irfan Pathan, Praveen Kumar, Rohit Sharma, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Parthiv Patel (wk), Manpreet Gony, S Badrinath, Mohammad Kaif, Harbhajan Singh, Ishant Sharma, Zaheer Khan, RP Singh, Sreesanth, Pragyan Ojha, Piyush Chawla, Manoj Tiwary, Abhishek Nayar, Pankaj Singh, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja, Yusuf Pathan, Murali Kartik.

"Ajantha Mendis will be a tough bowler to pick but it's really exciting challenge to play someone like him. I am confident that if I get a chance I will do my best to perform both in batting and wicketkeeping."

Parthiv was due to lead India A in the Emerging Players Tournament in Australia. Suresh Raina replaces him, while S Badrinath will captain the team. Parthiv had an impressive 2006-07 first-class season, scoring 1103 runs in 13 games at 58.05 as he captained Gujarat to victory in the Ranji Trophy Plate League.

"It's a great opportunity," Parthiv told Cricinfo. "I've been performing really well in the last three domestic seasons. At the back of my mind, there was the possibility of me being picked. I know what it takes to be a Test player."

Arthur excited by pace battery

Morne Morkel, one of South Africa's up-and-comers.

South Africa's coach, Mickey Arthur, believes his side holds the edge going into Thursday's keenly anticipated first Test at Lord's, both in terms of the battery of quick bowlers at their disposal, and the solidity that comes from their recent run of six series wins out of seven. England may be on the verge of naming the same side for a record sixth match in a row, but in Arthur's opinion, without Andrew Flintoff in their ranks, they are some way short of a full-strength line-up.

"England are probably where we were a year ago," said Arthur. "They aren't quite as settled as we are at the moment, but they are a very good team, and incredibly hard to beat at home. Against New Zealand, they were very good and very steady, and did a good job as a unit, but what they did lack was the genuine pace of a Flintoff, Steve Harmison, or even a Simon Jones."

If Arthur sounded as though he was damning England with faint praise, then it was entirely intentional. With a pace-dominated line-up, spearheaded by Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and the indefatigable Makhaya Ntini, South Africa know they have the weapons to inflict some serious dents on England's reputation. And there's no better place to start the barrage than at Lord's - a venue where England have been routed in all three contests since South Africa's readmission.

On the field, South Africa have promised to take a buttoned-lip approach to the contest, especially where Graeme Smith's lingering feud with Kevin Pietersen is concerned, but from the sidelines, Arthur wasn't afraid to take a few well-aimed pot-shots. He fully expects Flintoff to return to the side for the second Test at Headingley on July 18, which means that England's internal battle for selection could bubble to the surface during the Lord's Test.

In particular, Arthur singled out Ian Bell and Paul Collingwood - who managed a grand total of 77 runs in eight innings against New Zealand - as two batsmen scrapping for a solitary place. "The 'Freddie' Flintoff factor lingers over England, because he's too good a player not to be picked," said Arthur. "If you've got a class performer, a fantastic cricketer like him available to you, I think you'd be silly not to select him.

"He's got to come back, and he's got to come back for somebody unlucky. Within the whole pressure cooker of Test cricket, there might be one or two little personal contests going on in the England side. If we can get into 5 and 6 when the ball is pretty new, that'll be good, and there's also going to be one bowler with a cloud over him, knowing that Flintoff will be back for the second Test match."

That bowler, regardless of the superb impression he has made since coming into the team at Wellington in March, could well be Stuart Broad, who batted with incredible poise in the home series against New Zealand to average 39.66 from No. 8, but managed only seven wickets in six innings, less than half the tally of either James Anderson (19) or Ryan Sidebottom (17). But if Broad was anxious about his role in the side he certainly didn't show it, as he backed England's bowlers to play to their strengths in the coming weeks, and avoid getting drawn into a speed-gun war.

South Africa are confident that England will pick a fit-again Andrew Flintoff for the second Test at Headingley, which could force out Stuart Broad.

"I don't think we need to meet their pace and bounce at all," said Broad. "We need to stick to what we've done well in the past four or five Tests. We have two world-class swing bowlers up front, and we bowled New Zealand out four times in five Tests, so we don't need to chase to be someone we're not. All of us are above 85mph which is useful, but we look to do things with the ball. We're not going to charge in and try bowl 90mph, because that would send our techniques and radar awry."

That's not an issue that concerns South Africa's quick bowlers, however. Morkel, with his 6'6" frame, bowls with a splice-rattling pace reminiscent of Steve Harmison in his pomp, and at Uxbridge against Middlesex over the weekend, he put the finishing touches to his preparation for Lord's. "When everything is feeling 100% and my rhythm is nice, I'll definitely be trying to crank it up," he said. "The ball is coming out quite nicely and it's nice to see the batsmen jumping around a bit. Come Thursday, it will be the England batsmen who are in my sights. I can't wait."

The rich promise of both Morkel and Steyn fills Arthur with optimism for the future of South African cricket. With a combined age of 46, he fully expects them to be ranked as Nos. 1 and 2 in the world within two years, and in fact, Steyn, with 78 Test wickets in the last calendar year, is already regarded as the best fast bowler in the world. However, it is the overall shape of South Africa's attack that has earned them the favourite's tag for this summer.

"We've worked quite hard as a set-up to get to where we are now," said Arthur, whose squad is arguably as united as at any time in their post-Apartheid history, with every member of the starting 11, irrespective of creed, earning their place in the side on merit. "We are a goal-orientated side. It's taken us two years to get this team, and a series win in England is high up on our priorities.

"We set about getting an attack with three strikers," said Arthur, who once again underlined the importance of a world-class allrounder. "We're very lucky to have Jacques Kallis, he's like a 12th player for us, because he bats in the top four, and he bowls in the top four, if you like. He gives us unbelievable balance, because he can play any role we want.

"But we wanted three strikers bowling over 140kph," said Arthur. "One who can swing it in, as Steyn does, Makhaya who angles across the left-handers especially, and Morne Morkel who gets unbelievable bounce. These guys are hugely exciting and it's going to be a treat to watch them this summer."

England v South Africa, 1st Test, Lord's

Conquering England high on Kallis' ambitions

Jacques Kallis: "There are three things I really want to achieve: One is beating England in England, a second is beating Australia - and the third is winning the World Cup".

Despite spirited performances in their three previous tours, South Africa have yet to win a Test series in England since their readmission to the international sporting arena in the early 1990s. Jacques Kallis was part of the team that lost 2-1 in 1998 and drew 2-2 in 2003, and he's very keen to redress that this time around.

"There are three things I really want to achieve: One is beating England in England, a second is beating Australia - and the third is winning the World Cup," Kallis told News24.com. "We've come close in the past and made some silly mistakes at times when we shouldn't have." South Africa held a 2-1 lead in 2003 going into the final Test at The Oval, where despite making 484 in the first innings, the visitors lost after Marcus Trescothick scored a double-century.

"This time we hope we can learn from those mistakes and get the foot all the way in through the door, not just halfway - and make sure we play those big moments better than England," he said. "We're probably just favourites - although England being at home maybe makes it pretty much even.

"We've worked hard on our game. Everything we've done in the last year has been towards this series and the Australian one still to come," Kallis said. Kallis has also been assisting younger players such as AB de Villers and JP Duminy with their batting. "I started doing it during the past year or so," he said. "It's always nice when someone is successful after you have been helping him. By putting yourself in a team-mate's boots and pointing out to him what he may be doing wrong you think about your own game and what you have to do."

Kallis also indicated his team will have to dismiss the South African-born Kevin Pietersen early. "He is obviously a key batsman, who has done well in these conditions. The wickets are quite slow here, and that does suit the way he bats," he said. "He's a world-class player who's proven it over the last few years, so we'll have to be on top of our game against him. It will be important that we try and attack him early and get him out early."

Disenchanted with the quota system in South Africa, Pietersen opted to play for England; his eligibility coming courtesy of an English mother. Pietersen's tiff with Graeme Smith, the South Africa captain, is well known, but both Kallis and Mark Boucher said their team respected the England batsman.

"I respect Kevin as a person and what he's been through," Boucher said. "I take my hat off to him, and he's a great player.We see him as England's best batsman. But come game time, it's about South Africa v England, and we've got to try and get him out.

"Just because it's Kevin, it doesn't make any difference to us. We just want to get an English batsman out."