Chinaman Kuldeep Yadav makes ODI squad, Ashwin rested

Bangalore, Oct 4 (IANS) Kanpur's 19-year-old left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav was selected Saturday for the Indian cricket team while weaker Ravichandran Ashwin was "rested" for the first three One-Day Internationals (ODIs) against the West Indies.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) All-India Senior Selection Committee met here to pick the 14-member squad, which also includes leg-spinner Amit Mishra.

While Mishra, who missed the tour of England owing to injury, makes a return, Kuldeep, who is yet to play a first-class one-day game, is the only surprise inclusion.

Kuldeep was a member of the India squad during the Under-19 World Cup and his performance for the Kolkata Knight Riders, for whom he took took six wickets apparently caught the eye of the selectors.

The first three games will be played in Kochi (Oct 8), New Delhi (Oct 11) and Visakhapatnam (Oct 14). The team for the next two ODIs at Dharamsala (Oct 17) and Kolkata (Oct 20) will be announced later.

The squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja, Amit Mishra, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Mohit Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Murali Vijay, Kuldeep Yadav.