After Rahul Dravid, RP Singh's inclusion is another shocker

After Rahul Dravid's recall in ODIs, selectors dish out another shocker by drafting in RP Singh for injured Zaheer

The inclusion of Rudra Pratap Singh instead of Ashish Nehra as replacement for injured Zaheer Khan comes as a big surprise. It is learnt that the team management shortlisted three names Umesh Jadhav, Nehra and RP.

The selectors decided to ignore Nehra as they were concerned that he may not be able to sustain his fitness and Jadhav was counted out as they believe he has nothing more to offer apart from speed.


RP Singh

RP's performance in the 2007 tour of England, where he took 12 wickets including a five-wicket haul in the Lord's Test, worked in his favour.

But, the medium pacer has not played a Test since April 2008 when India played South Africa in Ahmedabad. RP's selection is not a foolproof solution, as his fitness also seems dicey. Will he be able to bowl 20 overs a day is a huge question that lies ahead of him.

It is learnt that the selectors asked coach Duncan Fletcher for his opinion, but the Brit said he hasn't seen much of Nehra and is interested to see whatu00a0 skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni thinks of the situation.

It is also learnt that Dhoni was in favour of Nehra as he would come in handy for the one day series.

But the selectors did not oblige the captain for the same reason that he may break down in the middle of the series. Ashish, who was injured during the World Cup, has been recovering fast and was at the Lord's net just before the first Test.