Panesar back but Pietersen left out of India tour (From The Argus)

Panesar back but Pietersen left out of India tour

11:41am Tuesday 18th September 2012 in Sport

Sussex players Monty Panesar and Matt Prior have been included in England's Test squad to tour India, but there is no place for Kevin Pietersen. Two uncapped batsmen, Somerset's Nick Compton and Yorkshire's Joe Root, have won places.

Spinner Panesar played the  last of his 42 Tests matches for England earlier this year on the tour to Sri Lanka and will be hoping to add to his 142 Test wickets.

Meanwhile, England cricket managing director Hugh Morris said there are still issues to be resolved over the text message dispute that saw 32-year-old Pietersen omitted from the last Test against South Africa.

Pietersen's omission opens the way for Compton, the 29-year-old grandson of Denis, who was the top English batsman in the county championship last season with an average of 99.

Root, 21, opened the batting for Yorkshire averaging 43.41 and could fill the gap left by the retirement of Andrew Strauss.

Essex batsman Ravi Bopara has lost his place in the 16-man Test squad, which is being captained by Alastair Cook, after a poor run of form in the second half of the season.
Pietersen could yet return to the England set-up next year but the fall-out from his text messages about former captain Strauss with members of the South Africa team during the summer continues to be a problem.
Morris said: ''Both ECB and England team management have had meetings with Kevin Pietersen to address the issues which led to his omission from the final Investec Test match against South Africa.
''These discussions remain private and confidential and as there are issues still to be resolved Kevin has not been considered for selection for the India tour.''
The squad includes three spin bowlers for the four-Test tour to the sub-continent: Samit Patel, Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann.