Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and V V S Laxman, part of the current Test series against Australia, were today left out by the selectors for the one-day tri-series against Australia and Sri Lanka.

Left-hand batsman Suresh Raina and leg-spinner Piyush Chawla were recalled to the side that also includes wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Kaarthick, who is already with the Test team, Virendra Sehwag and S Sreesanth. Left-arm spinner Murali Kartik, who played the last ODI series against Pakistan, was also left out.

The omission of Ganguly came as a surprise as the left-hander had been in good form in both the one-day and Test matches. BCCI Secretary Niranjan Shah, however, insisted their emphasis was on youth.

Explaining the reasons behind ignoring Ganguly and Dravid, he said: “The emphasis was on fielding abilities and we wanted a young fielding side for the series. That’s why you see a lot of youngsters.” Sachin Tendulkar will be the team’s most experienced batsman.

Conspiracy theorists, however, may pore over the fact that Raina who was picked up today was among Greg Chappell’s favourites, while the controversial former coach made no bones about his feelings for Ganguly.

The 16-member ODI squad, to be led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni, will play India’s one-off Twenty20 match against Australia on February 1 and the subsequent tri-series. Yuvraj Singh, who struggled for runs in Australia and has injured his knee, was retained as the vice-captain, which the selectors said was again done keeping the future in mind.

With news filtering in at Perth about Ganguly’s omission, the mood in the Indian camp turned sombre. As evening descended, Ganguly tore himself away from the crowd and went for a quiet walk along the Swan river which flows behind the team hotel. Later, at the dinner to celebrate the historic WACA win, the smile was back, though he said little.

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