Raina named captain for Zimbabwe series

Dhoni’s absence has ensured that Dinesh Karthik will crouch behind the stumps,while Naman Ojha will be the back-up keeper. Following a brilliant season with the Rajasthan Royals,Ojha will get his first taste of international cricket,while Pankaj Singh,Chennai’s R Ashwin and Ashok Dinda have also been assigned their first ODI jerseys.

Apart from Raina and Kohli,the side includes Yusuf Pathan,Rohit Sharma and Murali Vijay as specialist batsmen,while Ravindra Jadeja will once again fill in the all-rounder’s spot.

Robin Uthappa’s omission,though, has been the big surprise. Despite hitting a thick vein of form for the Bangalore Royal Challengers,Uthappa’s wait to return to the Indian team continues. After missing the bus for the World T20,spinners Amit Mishra and Pragyan Ojha are once again back in the mix. Piyush Chawla will join for the two T20 games in June.

While the Zimbabwe tour is clearly not of much importance,it will be a red-letter day for Raina,joining the exclusive club of cricketers to have led their country.

The selectors also announced a 16-member India A squad for a tri-series in England with Cheteshwar Pujara as the captain.

Uthappa injured?

Meanwhile,BCCI sources later said that Uthappa was injured and not fit for selection. It is learnt that he had a shoulder injury and may have to go in for a surgery.