Javagal Srinath and Anil Kumble have been omitted from the 16-member Indian squad for the Test series in New Zealand. Srinath was rested after playing all three Tests and six out of seven one-day internationals against West Indies, while Kumble sent a letter to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) stating his unavailability owing to personal reasons. Both would be considered for the seven-match one-day series though. Tinu Yohannan was included in the squad for his third consecutive overseas tour despite having done precious little on the earlier two, while Murali Kartik got just rewards for his impressive performances in the one-day series against West Indies. The selectors persisted with Ashish Nehra too, though his recent displays have been far from encouraging. SS Das retained the third opener's spot, and the extra middle-order berth went to Mohammad Kaif.

John Wright was under no illusions about how tough the tour would be. "Teams find it hard to play in New Zealand because the wickets seam a lot. You could get the odd good wicket but, with the ball moving about quite a bit, it's not easy. Then, it can get very cold and windy and wet. It's going to be a demanding tour.

"The task for our seamers will be cut out. I do see an opportunity for us in the Test series. As for the one-dayers, one would like to play tough cricket in the lead-up to the World Cup. Clearly, New Zealand will be very competitive, but we have the skill and talent to beat them."

India have only warm-up match – a three-day game against Central Districts – before going into the first Test at Wellington on December 12.

The squad
Openers
Virender Sehwag
Sanjay Bangar
SS Das

Middle order
Rahul Dravid
Sachin Tendulkar
Sourav Ganguly (captain)
VVS Laxman
Mohammad Kaif

Wicketkeepers
Parthiv Patel
Ajay Ratra

Bowlers
Zaheer Khan
Ashish Nehra
Ajit Agarkar
Tinu Yohannan
Harbhajan Singh
Murali Kartik

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