Chappell backs youngsters to deliver against England

Greg Chappell has backed his young side to deliver the goods against England three days before the first Test at Nagpur. England have been struggling with injury-related worries of their own but Chappell refused to write them off this early.

The inclusion of rookies, like Piyush Chawla and VRV Singh, in the Test squad meant that the average age of the side had reduced considerably but Chappell added that bowlers like Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh had enough Test experience to compensate for the inclusion of greenhorns.

"We have Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh who have taken 500 wickets between them," he told reporters after a brief net session at the Vidarbha Cricket Association ground. He also added that his young side were bubbling with enthusiasm and "ready to face any challenge".

"I think the selection committee has made a decision along the lines of what we have seen with the one-day side," he continued. "The energy and the application the young boys have brought to the one-day squad have been encouraging for everyone. It is all part of the policy to regenerate the team. While we have got some experienced players, we need to be able to bring young players in and let them work their way in and get some experience and learn from the seniors."

India's one-day side might have got on a roll, but the Test team has often shown signs of slipping up in big games. Chappell, though, spoke of the process of reinvigoration: "We have not been unsuccessful in Tests. We won a Test series against Sri Lanka at home recently and we had a very close series in Pakistan. The infusion of youth and enthusiasm will help take us forward in our process of reinvigorating our Test team."