MUMBAI – India will play a One-day tri-series in Zimbabwe during May-June that will involve Sri Lanka as the third team, it was announced by the Indian cricket board here Friday.

The tri-series will start May 28 with India taking on Zimbabwe in Bulawayo and the final is slated for June 9 in Harare. India will stay back for two Twenty20 matches June 12 and 13 in Harare, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced.

India replaced New Zealand, which pulled out citing security issues. India last toured Zimbabwe for two Tests and a One-day tri-series, involving New Zealand in 2005.

India Zimbabwe Srilanka 2010 Cricket Series – Schedule and Fixtures

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Fall of Wickets (India)

Nagpur, Feb 9 (IANS) South Africa were just four wickets away from a crushing victory against India in the first cricket Test here Tuesday. At tea on the fourth day, India were 223 for six in their second innings with Test debutant Wriddhiman Saha (4) and Harbhajan Singh (11) at the crease. India, following on after being bowled out for 233 in the first innings, trail by 102 runs.

Paul Harris (L) celebrates with team-mates taking the wicket of Sachin Tendulkar (unseen) during the fourth day of the first cricket Test match between India and South Africa in Nagpur. (AP Photo)

South Africa had declared their first innings at 558 for six. Sachin Tendulkar was out after scoring 100 while Mahendra Singh Dhoni was dismissed for 25. Left arm spinner Paul Harris (3-45) accounted for both the batsmen, breaking the 107-run stand and with it hopes of India’s fightback. Tendulkar, who stood resolutely in the morning session, was out trying to play a sweep shot, the ball brushed his pad and fell onto the stumps. He played 179 balls hitting 13 fours. Dhoni, who played 112-balls for his 25, stroking three fours, got an inside edge and was caught at silly point by AB de Villiers. In fact, it was clear in the morning session that Harris will play an important role as he was getting a vicious turn from the rough outside the leg stump. Before lunch, Harris got the wicket of Murali Vijay (32) who top edged a sweep to fine leg to be caught by Morne Morkel. Subramaniam Badrinath, who had struck a solid 56 in the first innings, was the next to go as he edged one behind to wicket-keeper Mark Boucher off left-handed seamer Wayne Parnell.

Harris and Steyn consign India to innings defeat

His “innocuous” outside-the-leg line from over the stumps made him the most successful spinner in the match, and his wickets featured those of Sachin Tendulkar and M Vijay, the only men who looked like they could deny South Africa. Thanks to Harris, the fast bowlers didn’t need to bust their gut in consigning India to their third innings defeat at home in the last 10 years – all three to the same opposition.

Tendulkar’s 91st international century, just like Virender Sehwag’s 30th in the first innings, was a remarkable innings in isolation, but an inadequate one given the thin middle order. Once he got out with India still 133 behind, it was always going to be a matter of when and not if. The when came at 4.27pm, with Dale Steyn finishing a fourth career ten-wicket haul, taking out a resolute Wriddhiman Saha and Amit Mishra in quick succession.

On a day that Graeme Smith went easy on his pace bowlers, Harris provided his captain with just what was required: control over run flow, main share of the overs bowled, and the big wickets. He came on to bowl as early as the fifth over of the day, and was the main bowler until tea, bowling 31 overs for 64 runs and three wickets, the third being MS Dhoni’s.

Given how Dhoni got out to Harris in the first innings, padding up and gloving one that kicked from the rough, the leg-line wasn’t quite as defensive as it is perceived to be. Neither of the overnight batsmen, Tendulkar and Vijay, wanted to keep padding up to him for long. Tendulkar was more convincing in getting right to the pitch of the ball, and playing it out of the rough. The flick for four through midwicket early in the day stood out. Vijay kept Harris interested with the sweep, and finally one delivery found the top edge and then Morne Morkel at fine leg.

Tendulkar had moved to 37 by then, having found balance between attack and defence. Against Harris he kicked away the deliveries outside leg, as opposed to waiting for them to hit his pads. When he made up his mind to play scoring shots, he made sure he was close to the pitch of the ball. From the other end, Smith rotated his fast bowlers, who gave Tendulkar nothing to drive.

Tendulkar was up to the task, scoring through deft touches and glances against aggressive bowling. He hit ten boundaries in his 68 runs behind square alone. The innings did feature a drop when on 45. Wayne Parnell, bowling from round the stumps, got it to straighten and hit the edge, but Jaques Kallis missed a tough one low to his right.

That was the only blotch on an innings that progressed at a fair pace. It didn’t quite become a threatening knock because no one at the other end looked nearly as convincing once Vijay got out. S Badrinath kept middling the ball, kept finding fielders, and got off the mark off the 17th ball he faced. Against Parnell, he could survive just three balls. The first one beat a defensive shot, and was angling down when it hit his pad. The second one straightened, took the edge, fell short, and went for four. The third carried.

Along with Dhoni, Tendulkar negotiated 25.5 overs but neither man made an attempt to hit Harris off his line. Vijay’s wicket could have had that effect. Eventually one bounced slightly more than expected, hit Tendulkar on the pad, then onto the elbow, and onto the stumps.

Dhoni, too, 25 off 112, eventually got the one accurate delivery from Harris that made him play, took the inside edge onto the pad, and his first defeat as captain would come soon. The unfortunate Saha, who unwittingly drew the ire of many by debuting as a specialist batsman, put in a fight with a 101-ball 36. Stands of 50 and 59 with Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan took them close to saving the innings defeat, but Kallis and Steyn took the last three wickets in one quick go. The messed-up stumps of Mishra at the hands of Steyn, bringing up the 10-for, was a fitting end.

India Squad For South-Africa Series 2010 | India Cricket | Live Scorecard

“After Sourav Ganguly, several players from Bengal had got a look-in for the Indian team, but they could not cement their places. But I will try to perform well to stay there as long as I can.”

However, the long injury list meant the selectors picked the squad only for the first Test, which begins in Nagpur on February 6. They will reassess the fitness of players and the performance of the replacements before naming the side for the second Test. A BCCI release, however, all but ruled out Dravid and Yuvraj of the second Test as well. Dravid, who fractured his cheekbone after getting hit by a Shahadat Hossain bouncer in Mirpur, was advised three weeks’ rest, the release said. It also said that Yuvraj was out for the whole series. Kris Srikkanth, the chairman of selectors, though, said they would reassess the injury status after the first Test.

“Dravid was very keen to play but the doctors have advised him rest as a precautionary measure,” Srikkanth said. “We have selected the best possible team considering the number of injuries that the Indian team have suffered in the recent series.

“The team has been selected just for the first Test. We will take a call on the team for the second Test after getting the fitness report of the injured players.”

Saha’s selection, ahead of Karthik, was prompted by the back problems MS Dhoni has suffered of late. Saha was signed up by Kolkata Knight Riders in the inaugural edition of the IPL, and managed 318 runs in five games at 39.75 in 2009-10 Ranji season. “Dhoni had a few niggles during the Bangladesh tour and had even missed the first Test. Even in the ODIs he had a few problems with his fitness, so we have included Wriddhiman Saha as a back up. If in the morning of the match, Dhoni is unavailable, we will have Saha as a replacement,” Srikkanth said.

Sreesanth, who picked up a hamstring injury in Chittagong and missed the Mirpur Test, was recovering at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore. “I am recovering well and thought I would be fit enough for the full series against South Africa,” he told the Hindu, a day before the selection. “But it seems to be taking a little more time and I should be good enough for the second Test and one-dayers.” Mithun, his replacement, was rewarded for a sensational debut Ranji season, during which he took a hat-trick in his first match, led Karnataka to the final, and ended as the leading wicket-taker, scalping 47 at 23.23 apiece. “He has done extremely well in the domestic season and we really needed a fast bowler for the Tests, so we have included him,” Srikkanth said of Mithun’s inclusion.

The Indian selectors also named a squad for Board President’s XI’s two-day match against the South Africans in Nagpur. Rohit Sharma was appointed captain while Mithun was also part of that squad in order to give him a look-in ahead of the Test. The big omission from the list of 14 was Wasim Jaffer, who scored 638 Ranji Trophy runs at 53.16 this season. It was a clear message that the selectors wanted to invest in youth for these tour games, and not bring back players who have been tested at the top before. Abhishek Nayar, at 26 years, was the oldest player in the side.

India squad for first Test: MS Dhoni (capt/wk), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, S Badrinath, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Amit Mishra, Pragyan Ojha, Ishant Sharma, M Vijay, Sudeep Tyagi, Abhimanyu Mithun, Wriddhiman Saha.

Board President’s XI: Abhinav Mukund, Parthiv Patel (wk), Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma (capt), Manish Pandey, Cheteshwar Pujara, Abhishek Nayar, Piyush Chawla, R Ashwin, R Vinay Kumar, Abhimanyu Mithun, Shikhar Dhawan, Umesh Yadav, Manpreet Gony.