CHENNAI, (Reuters) – India’s master batsman Sachin Tendulkar has opted out of next month’s triangular one-day series against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh to save himself for the upcoming test series against Bangladesh.
The 36-year-old Tendulkar told the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) he wanted a break from the shorter version of the game but would be available for the two tests.
“Sachin Tendulkar desired to be rested for the tri-series. He will play the tests against Bangladesh,” the BCCI said in a statement on Friday.
Rohit Sharma was called in to replace Tendulkar in just one of several changes to the 16-man squad for the limited-overs series, starting in Bangladesh from Jan. 4. Yuvraj Singh, Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, Ashok Dinda and Amit Mishra were also added to the lineup while Ishant Sharma, Praveen Kumar and Pragyan Ojha were all omitted.
The tournament ends with the final on January 13 with the first of the two tests commencing in Chittagong on Jan. 17.
India squad for tri-series: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Yuvraj Singh, Sudeep Tyagi, Dinesh Karthik, Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, Ashok Dinda, Amit Mishra.