Adelaide: India captain Anil Kumble on Wednesday expressed his disappointment at the timing of the announcement of One-Day side for the triangular series but was hopeful that the senior players, who have been dropped, will give their best to win the fourth Test match here starting Thursday.
"The selection is not in their hands. I have gone through it, it's not ideal (the announcement of the team before the Test) but that's the way. It's a bit disappointing," Kumble said on the eve of the crucial fourth Test match.
The India captain was referring to the surprise move by the Indian selectors, who decided to leave out former captain Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid from the One-Day squad for the triangular series, involving Australia and Sri Lanka.
The team was announced on Sunday, a day after India won the third Test match at Perth, and many felt that the timing was not appropriate as it could hamper team's morale for the Adelaide Test match, which India need to win to square the series 2-2.
But the India captain hoped that the seniors would put the disappointment behind, as they are mature enough to take the exclusion in their stride.
"It's not easy on senior players. Having said that, we would keep our focus on this Test. It's a challenge (to get them around). People (not selected) would be disappointed but they have played enough cricket to understand, why this (Test) is important for Indian cricket and to stay in the series," he said.
Kumble also said that he had explained the situation to the senior players and added: "They are professional enough to understand the situation and will go out and give their best."
The Adelaide Test will also bring down the curtains on the bunch of five players - Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman and Kumble - who in all probability are on their last tour to Australia.
Asked whether it was possible to replace these players, Kumble said: "It's difficult to replace anybody. You can see that in the current Australian team itself."
"Every team will undergo a transition. The key is how you handle it. There is definitely a lot of talent in India. It's about ensuring they get the confidence and probably four-five years from now, you'll have a good set of players to ensure India goes forward," he said.
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