Three spinners in Indian one-day squad. Three specialist spinners feature in a 14-man squad for the first three matches of a six-game one-day series against England. An out-of-form Sourav Ganguly was retained as skipper of a squad that includes leg-spinner Anil Kumble and off-spinners Harbhajan Singh and Sarandeep Singh. Chairman of selectors Chandu Borde said that three spinners had been picked to add variety to the attack. "When we see the wicket for the matches, probably only two spinners will play," Borde said. "But we wanted to have more options." VVS Laxman, who missed the South African series with a knee injury, returns along with Hemang Badani, Dinesh Mongia and Zaheer Khan. All-rounder Sanjay Bangar is named for his first one-day series, while young wicket-keeper Ajay Ratra has been picked ahead of Deep Dasgupta. Squad: Sourav Ganguly (captain), Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Virender Sehwag, Hemang Badani, Dinesh Mongia, Anil Kumble, Ajay Ratra (wicket-keeper), Harbhajan Singh, Sarandeep Singh, Javagal Srinath, Ajit Agarkar, Zaheer Khan, Sanjay Bangar.

India 'A' upset their Seniors It was an anticlimax to beat all anticlimaxes. The final of the Challenger Trophy saw India 'A' beat India Seniors by eight wickets at Bangalore. Sourav Ganguly, hard as he tried, could not get out of the batting slump that has laid him low for over six months now. He could only watch in dismay as India 'A,' inspired by an all-round display, swamped the senior team. On winning the toss and electing to bat, Ganguly would never have thought it likely that his team would be skittled out for a mere 154 in 35.5 overs. Brilliant bowling did not sweep the Seniors off the deck; the batting let things slip. In a shuffled batting order, Shiv Sunder Das (4) and Jacob Martin (1) fell early. Under pressure in the floodlit game, the Seniors crumbled, with only Hemang Badani offering any resistance. The level-headed Tamil Nadu southpaw made 52, while everyone else failed. But it was not just the bowling of India 'A' that came to the fore. Little-known Sangram Singh, who began his career as a medium-pacer, showcased his aggressive batting in fine style, top-scoring with 75 and leading his team to a famous victory. VVS Laxman (29*) and Rohan Gavaskar (18*) saw India 'A' home with 18 overs to spare. This is an edition of the Challenger Trophy that will be remembered for a long time. If not for the crashing ton from Virender Sehwag or the classical knock from Dinesh Mongia or the five-fer from Sarandeep Singh, it will be for the result - when the India Seniors team, filled choc-a-bloc with big names, was humbled.

Daddy-to-be Giles has to stay away English left-arm spinner Ashley Giles is a team man to the core. He banished injury woes and fears of terrorist attacks to tour India, bowling his heart out for his team in the last two Tests. Now Giles will have to banish woes of a different kind ahead of the upcoming one-day series. His Norwegian-born wife Stine Giles is expected to deliver their second child in five weeks and Ashley, who will now be away touring for the next three months, will have to get over the heart-wrenching parting. "It is very, very hard...it is so hard to think that our baby will be six weeks old by the time I get home," Giles said. But he and Stine were pragmatic enough to "agree that going on tour is something I just have to do. It is my job and our livelihood."

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