Laxman axed for final England ODIs
India dropped struggling batsman Vangipurappu Laxman on Friday for the last three games of the current one-day series against England.
Laxman was left out after managing scores of 25, three and 26 in the first three matches of the series, which India lead 2-1.
The wristy player hit an Indian Test record of 281 to inspire India's 2-1 upset home test series win over Australia last year and seal a permanent place in the team, but he has looked out of sorts since undergoing knee surgery last August.
The national selectors, who met during India's four-wicket win in the third game on Friday, drafted in young middle-order batsman Mohammad Kaif in the only change to the 14-man squad originally chosen for the series.
"He has not been among the runs and we thought a break will do him a lot of good," Niranjan Shah, secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, told reporters, adding that Laxman's fielding had also been disappointing.
The fourth one-dayer will be played in Kanpur on Monday, followed by matches in New Delhi and Bombay.
India squad: Saurav Ganguly (captain), Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Dinesh Mongia, Mohammad Kaif, Hemang Badani, Ajay Ratra, Ajit Agarkar, Sanjay Bangar, Harbhajan Singh, Anil Kumble, Javagal Srinath, Sharandeep Singh, Zaheer Khan.
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