Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir pull out of Deodhar Trophy

Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag’s chances of making a return to India colors took a further dip on Tuesday after the duo opted out of the Deodhar Trophy.The two were expected to lead North Zone’s charge in the tournament, along with other seniors Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh, but it seems that they had other ideas.The 15-man squad will now be led by Harbhajan.

The 33-year-old Gambhir made an unsuccessful return to the Indian Test team earlier this year and hasn’t represented his country in the shorter versions since January 2013. Sehwag, on the other hand, hasn’t played for India since March 2013, and didn’t have the best of IPLs this year, either.

Viru wants to give youngsters a chance

It is learnt that the 36-year-old Sehwag pulled out of the tournament to give some of the younger legs a chance while the reason for Gambhir to opt out is still unknown.

“Today, at the start of the selection committee meeting, the chairman Vikram Rathour intimated us that Viru (Virender Sehwag) has specifically told him that he doesn't want to play Deodhar Trophy. He has insisted that some of the promising juniors may be picked. Gauti (Gautam Gambhir) has also decided against playing but I have no clue about why he pulled out," A member of the North Zone selection committee told PTI.

Both Gambhir and Sehwag haven’t been at their best in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, with the duo amassing just 178 and 122 runs respectively. Crucially, they haven’t shown the desired consistency in any of the 3 matches.

Their pull out now means that Harbhajan will lead a very young side, possessing the likes of Unmukt Chand, Manan Vohra and Sandeep Sharma, in the competition. North Zone will start their campaign against East Zone in Mumbai on November 30.