Yuvraj dropped, tired Dhoni opts out of SL Test series

TIRED LEGS: Dhoni's hectic schedule started with India's 80-day tour of the UK in July 2007.

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New Delhi: Indian One-Day International and Twenty20 skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has opted out of India's Test series against Sri Lanka.

Dhoni has been given a break from his hectic schedule by the Board of Control for Cricket in India Selection Committee, which announced the Test team on Tuesday.

Yuvraj Singh, who was part of the Test team during India's tour to Australia, has been dropped with S Sreesanth also not in the 16-member squad.

The team will be led by leg-spinner Anil Kumble with Virender Sehwag being made the vice-captain in Dhoni's absence.

India's first Test against Sri Lanka begins on July 23 in Colombo.

Midway through the Asia Cup in Pakistan recently, Dhoni had spoken about fatigue as a result of back-to-back-matches.

Dhoni hectic schedule started with India's 80-day tour of the United Kingdom in July 2007, followed by the Twenty20 World Championships in South Africa, an ODI series against Australia and a Test and ODI series against Pakistan at home, a more-than-a-two-month long tour Down Under, a Test series against South Africa, and then the the Indian Premier League (IPL).

And soon after the 44-day IPL ended where the Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings reached the final, India played a tri-series in Bangladesh and then took part in the Asia Cup, both times India were the runners-up.

Dhoni had criticised the hectic scheduling of games during the Asia Cup, in which India had to play back-to-back games twice.

India's coach Gary Kirsten, writing on his website, had also expressed concern about packed schedules and how important it was for key players like Dhoni to take a break.

The squad: Anil Kumble (C), Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, Harbhajan Singh, VVS Laxman, Virender Sehwag (V-C), Gautam Gambhir, Pragyaj Ojha, Ishant Sharma, Dinesh Karthik, Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel, Rohit Sharma, Parthiv Patel, RP Singh.