New Delhi: Opener Gautam Gambhir will lead a second string Indian team in the first two one-dayers against New Zealand after regular skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and four other frontline players were rested on Saturday night.
"M.S. Dhoni, Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh were not considered due to injury concerns which require attention and rehabilitation," secretary of the Indian cricket board (BCCI) N Srinivasan said in a statement.
Dhoni's absence will pave way for Wriddhiman Saha's one-day international debut, the Bengal player being the lone stumper in the 14-member squad, which also includes comeback man Yusuf Pathan.
India take on New Zealand in the first of five one day internationals on November 28 in Guwahati.
The selectors, who met in Nagpur, also picked a 17-member team, led by Dhoni, for the three-match test series in South Africa. The team features all frontline players, including test specialists Rahul Dravid and Vangipurappu Laxman.
India face South Africa in the first test at Centurion on Dec. 16, while Durban (Dec. 26-30) and Cape Town (Jan. 2-6) host the other matches.
Indian team for first two ODIs against New Zealand: Gautam Gambhir (captain), Murali Vijay, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Saurav Tiwary, Wriddhiman Saha, R Ashwin, Praveen Kumar, R.Vinay Kumar, Munaf Patel, Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, Yusuf Pathan and Ravindra Jadeja.
Indian team for test series in South Africa: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Vangipurappu Laxman, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Wriddhiman Saha, Jaydev Unadkat, Umesh Yadav and Pragyan Ojha.
