Senior players likely to return for Asia Cup

Most of the senior players are set to return to the Indian squad when the national selection committee headed by Krishnamachari Srikkanth meet in Capital to pick the team for the Asia cup in Sri Lanka.

The selectors picked a virtually second string team for the tour of Zimbabwe were the rookies cut a sorry figure, failing to make it to the finals of the tri-nation series and losing both their matches to Zimbabwe.

It was a double set back for the Indian team, which had failed to reach the semi-finals in ICC World Cup Twenty20 in West Indies.

Regular captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, bowlers Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra and spinner Harbhajan Singh are certain to return to the squad, while poor form and fitness cast a cloud of doubt over Yuvraj Singh.

Hard hitting opener Virender Sehwag is also recovering from a shoulder injury and is going under rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore.

In absence of both Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, India's makeshift opening pair of Dinesh Karthik and Murali Vijay too failed to impress in Zimbabwe.

Rohit Sharma, the only Indian to have impressed in Zimbabwe, is likely to be retained in the squad, along with Virat Kohli.

Zaheer and Nehra's comeback is virtually a certainty because the likes of Ashok Dinda and Umesh Yadav looked listless in Zimbabwe, while R Vinay Kumar is nursing an injury.

In the slow blowing department also, India looked toothless with neither Amit Mishra nor Pragyan Ojha making an impression.

Offie R Ashwin will fancy his chances after making his contribution both with the bat and ball in the only match he played in Zimbabwe.