Selectors to search for all-rounders in Challenger Trophy

Dubai, Oct 23 (IANS) Indian selectors will be on the lookout for all-rounders in the N.K.P. Salve Challenger Trophy cricket tournament that got underway in Cuttack Thursday.

'The Challenger Trophy matches are starting today and the focus is to find all-rounders,' Krishnamachari Srikkanth, chairman of the Board of Control for Cricket in India's selection committee, said at a press conference.

'That's why they have picked as many all-rounders as possible to take part in the Challenger Trophy,' he said.

Srikkanth is in Dubai for the 'Legends of Lord's' event celebrating the silver jubilee of India's 1983 cricket World Cup victory. All members of that champion side will be felicitated at a function here.

'Three of our four selectors are in Cuttack to watch those matches,' he said.

'We are confident that in a short time we will be able to find all-rounders.'

He, however, added that it might well be impossible to find somebody like Kapil Dev.

'Obviously, we cannot find somebody like Kapil Dev for sure. There can be one and only one Kapil Dev,' he said

'If we find somebody who is 25 percent as good as Kapil Dev, we will be very happy,' he said.

The four-day tournament at the Barabati stadium in Cuttack features three teams with Yuvraj Singh leading India Blue, Subramaniam Badrinath India Red and Mohammad Kaif India Green.