Mumbai, August 7:

Wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni will lead a revamped Indian team missing five top stars at the inaugural Twenty20 World Championships in South Africa in September.

Regular captain Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman and Zaheer Khan did not feature in the 15-man squad announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India on Tuesday.

Agressive opener Virender Sehwag, off-spinner Harbhajan Singh and all-rounder Irfan Pathan make a comeback after being dropped for the ongoing tour of England.

Pathan will be joined in the squad by his elder brother, 24-year-old Yusuf, who is set to make his international debut as a hard-hitting batsman and off-spinner.

India have played just one Twenty20 international so far, against South Africa in Johannesburg last December.

India are drawn with Pakistan and Scotland in Group D in the preliminary league, with the top two advancing to the Super Eight round.

Pakistan axe Yousuf, Razzaq

KARACHI: Pakistan dropped experienced batsman Mohammad Yousuf and all-rounder Abdul Razzaq from the national squad for inaugural World Twenty20 Cup.

Yousuf was not deemed fit enough by selectors who have focused on youth for the shortest version of the game. Chief selector Salahuddin Ahmed praised Yousuf as a world class player and said his omission was to field younger players. Also excluded was Razzaq. Shoaib Akhtar was included but Mohammad Sami failed selection. — AP