India keep faith with Rohit, Dhawan

The India selectors have kept faith with Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan for the three-Test series against New Zealand.

Rohit struggled with the bat during the recent victory against West Indies and averages only 32.62 in the longest format.

The 29-year-old, a key member of the India side in limited-overs cricket, will get further chances to prove he can cut it at Test level against the Black Caps.

Opening batsman Dhawan also keeps his place in a 15-man squad for a series which gets under way at Kanpur on September 22.

All-rounder Stuart Binny and seamer Shardul Thakur have been dropped after making the trip to the Caribbean, but failing to force their way into the side during a 2-0 series win.

Asked about Rohit’s selection, chairman of selectors Sandeep Patil said: “He is a fabulous player, with immense talent. He hasn’t had a long run in Test cricket.

“What we have seen with Rohit Sharma is he’s picked for one Test match and that’s it for, say, the entire season. Then he’ll be picked again.

“So the selection committee along with the coach and captain feel that Rohit and whoever has been picked will be given a fair amount of chances here onwards.”

India squad in full:

Virat Kohli (captain), Ajinkya Rahane, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shikhar Dhawan, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Amit Mishra, Mohammed Shami, Cheteshwar Pujara, KL Rahul, Wriddhiman Saha, Ishant Sharma, Rohit Sharma, Murali Vijay, Umesh Yadav.