Fit Praveen frustrated at being sidelined

Praveen Kumar, the India medium pacer, has revealed his frustration at being sidelined by the national selectors despite having recovered from injury. Praveen was also not picked in the Rest of India (ROI) squad for the first-class Irani Cup match, the curtain-raiser for the domestic season, which will be played from September 21 to 25 in Bangalore.

"I was hoping to get a call for the New Zealand series but that didn't happen. I was a bit disappointed not to find a place in the ROI side too," Praveen told the Indian Express. "At the moment I'm looking forward to the Challenger Trophy [the domestic one-day tournament featuring India's best limited-overs players], as it will be the only competitive cricket for me.

"Sometimes I sit and wonder about why I'm not there in the Indian side. It's frustrating to be sidelined."

Praveen had had a fine 2011, picking up six wickets on Test debut against West Indies in Jamaica in June, and going on to take 27 from six matches at 25.81; he was one of the few positives for India on the dismal tour of England, with 15 wickets in three Tests. However, a chest injury kept him out of the Test series in Australia in December-January, and he wasn't able to replicate his pre-injury form in the limited-overs series that followed: the Commonwealth Bank Series, the Asia Cup and the IPL.

The chest injury was not the only one Praveen suffered last year: he had missed the World Cup with a tennis elbow, and didn't play the final Test in the England series because of pain in his left ankle.

"I had a good time in the West Indies and England, and then injuries halted my progress. Injury is in nobody's hands," Praveen said. "When I'm on the field, I always try to give 200%. And when you do that, you can get injured."

He will play for India B in the revamped Challenger Trophy, which begins on September 29 in Rajkot.