Nikhil Chopra added to Delhi squad

Explaining the reasons behind Nikhil Chopra’s inclusion, the chairman of the DDCA Ranji Trophy selection committee, Chetan Chauhan said: “Three mainfactors made us include him in the team. First, all other states had decided to include players who had been named in match-fixing allegations. The BCCI had left it to us to take any decision on such players. So, if Hyderabad (Azharuddin), Baroda (Nayan Mongia), Jammu and Kashmir (Ajay Jadeja) and Himachal Pradesh (Ajay Sharma) can include the players, why not Delhi.”

The second reason, Chauhan said: “Nothing adverse has so far appeared against Nikhil, either in the print media or on television, whether it be the CBI looking into match-fixing allegations or the Income Tax department.”

And the third reason for Nikhil’s inclusion, according to the former India opening batsman was: “Unless he plays for the state, he cannot play for the country. We did not want to deny him that opportunity. A player’s career is more important to us. We discussed the matter in the executive committee and with the other selectors before making a decision.”

Left-arm spinner Rahul Sanghvi, named deputy to present India wicketkeeper Vijay Dahiya, will most likely lead the home team in the first game. “The team will have to play without Dahiya as he will be with the national squad for most of the season,” Chauhan said.

On paper, Delhi have a much stronger all-round strength, both in batting and bowling.

Services, on the other hand, comprises a combination of some tried veterans and a few young hopefuls. But they stand little chance of surprising the home team.

The CBI report on match-fixing is expected to be officially submitted next week. But one hopes the players will be able to focus on the game. A good performance could help them get the selectors’ nod for matches ahead.

Teams:
Delhi (from): Vijay Dahiya (captain), Rahul Sanghvi (vice-captain), Aakash Chopra, Ashu Dani, Nikhil Chopra, Pankaj Joshi, Mithun Manhas, Virender Sehwag, Devender Sharma (wk), Amit Bhandari, Ashish Nehra, Robin Singh Jr, Pradeep Chawla, Amit Suman, Harender Chaudhary, Vishal Sharma.

Services: (from): Sanjay Verma (captain), Deeak Sahrawat, M V Rao, Pankaj Maitrey, K K Dixit, Harish Bhaskar, Sarabjeet Singh, J P Pandey, Narender Singh, Sudhakar Ghag, Sachin Kulkarn, Sachin Nadkarni, Arun Sharma, Syed Javed, Anant Bhagwat, Amit Nadkarni, P M S Reddy.

Umpires: S V Ramani and K R Shankar.