BBC SPORT | Cricket | Indian stars agree compromise

India have named their leading players in a
14-man squad for the Champions Trophy after a contracts dispute was finally settled at the 11th hour.

The squad, including skipper Sourav Ganguly and star batsman Sachin Tendulkar, was confirmed after a global teleconference organised by the International Cricket Council.

The tournament begins on Thursday, with India's first match following two days later, and the selectors had been facing the prospect of having to send a second-string side to Sri Lanka.

But a compromise was reached following the conference which involved the players, ICC officials and representatives of all 10 Test-playing nations.

The squad named includes 10 of the side who took part in the Test series in England, which ended on Monday, and the only previously uncapped player is medium pace bowler Jai Prakash Yadav.

World Cup warning

I am pleased that this action will see the best players in India playing on Saturday against Zimbabwe in Sri Lanka

ICC president Malcolm Gray

Ganguly warned, however, that the ICC must look again at their contracts to avoid similar problems before next year's World Cup in South Africa.

"If it is the same as for this tournament, there will be a lot more difficulties," he said.

The Indian players were unhappy about a clause in the contracts which bans personal endorsement deals until 30 days after the conclusion of the tournament.

"We have been asked to break existing contracts and, as we all know, breaking existing contracts is illegal," Ganguly added.

After a meeting with ICC chief Malcolm Speed last week, the players accepted a revised contract by which the restrictions would apply for up to 16 days after the Trophy final.

Dalmiya's u-turn

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) responded by refusing to recognise that agreement, fearing a possible claim for compensation from the ICC.

BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya
Dalmiya abandoned his initial position

BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya insisted that only players who signed the original contracts would be considered for selection.

But ultimately Dalmiya changed his stance after receiving assurances from his counterparts in other countries that they help meet the costs of any claim against the BCCI by the tournament sponsors.

"We are quite happy about it. A full-strength squad will represent India in the tournament," he said.

Former Test all-rounder Ravi Shastri, who had been acting as the players' representative, insisted that "principles and integrity" not money were the main issue.

Players from other countries, including South Africa, also expressed reservations about the contracts.

But ICC president Malcolm Gray welcomed the agreement as "a pragmatic resolution to a difficult issue".

Indian squad: Sourav Ganguly (captain), Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Dinesh Mongia, Mohammad Kaif, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ajit Agarkar, Yuvraj Singh, JP Yadav, Ashish Nehra, VVS Laxman.


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