order batsman Vangipurappu Laxman has been declared fit to play in the second and final Test against South Africa starting Sunday, India's chief selector Kris Srikkanth said. Laxman missed the opening test with a finger injury as top-ranked India lost by an innings and six runs in Nagpur, its first defeat on home soil in almost two years. “Laxman is going to be back in the Kolkata test match,” Srikkanth told the CNN-IBN news channel Thursday. “He has said he is 100 percent fit.” Laxman's return should bolster India's inexperienced middle-order which has been without injured duo Rahul Dravid (jaw) and Yuvraj Singh (wrist), both ruled out of the two-Test series. The massive defeat in Nagpur on Monday brought an end to India's 14-match undefeated streak as India's selectors came under heavy media scrutiny. “If you say we lost the match because of selection and if that is what the media feels, then I'm willing to own up the responsibility,” former Test captain Srikkanth told Indian daily newspaper DNA Thursday. Wriddhiman Saha has been dropped for the second Test after he contributed 36 runs in Nagpur following an unexpected debut when Rohit Sharma, called up as cover for Laxman, sustained an injury just before the match. “We had Rohit Sharma as a back-up and if a standby player gets injured 15 minutes before the game do you think anybody could do anything about it?” Srikkanth said. Steyn took a match haul of 10-108 to blow India away in the first test but South African coach Corrie van Zyl expects the pitch at Kolkata's Eden Gardens to assist spin. “I won't say it would be a minefield, but I do expect something that will help the Indian team,” he told reporters Wednesday. India must win the second and final Test to prevent South Africa from claiming the number one position in the world rankings. India's squad for second Test: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Murali Vijay, Sachin Tendulkar, Venkatsai Laxman, Subramaniam Badrinath, Harbhajan Singh, Amit Mishra, Zaheer Khan, Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, Ishant Sharma, Pragyan Ojha, Dinesh Karthik, Suresh Raina. Chappell rejects Pak offer Former India coach Greg Chappell said he has rejected an offer to coach Pakistan, preferring to work with the next generation of cricketers in his native Australia, reports said Thursday. Chappell, 61, said he had received an approach from the Pakistan Cricket Board, which is yet to officially terminate the employment of Intikhab Alam following Pakistan's disastrous tour of Australia. The former Australian Test captain said he was committed to his role as head coach of Cricket Australia's Center of Excellence. “I am really enjoying the Centre of Excellence role and it's a good level at which to work because the influence you can have at this level is probably greater than you can have at the higher level.” Champions League dates clash with English season Champions League commissioner Lalit Modi Thursday asked England to adjust its domestic schedule if it wanted to take part in the Twenty20 tournament this year. Modi announced on his Twitter page that the tournament, featuring the top Twenty20 club sides from around the world, will be held from September 10-26 at a yet unspecified venue. The dates of the six-million dollar event clash with a one-day series between England and Pakistan and the last fortnight of the English domestic season. Modi told the Cricinfo website he hopes the England Cricket Board (ECB) would “be able to participate by making a minor adjustment to their schedule.” “Given that Australia's tour to India begins on Oct. 2 and other countries also have pre-committed games, it was the only window available this year,” he said. The Champions League is organised by the cricket boards of India, Australia and South Africa and other countries participate in the tournament by invitation. The inaugural tournament in India last year featured three club teams from India, two each from Australia, South Africa and England and one each from New Zealand, Sri Lanka and the West Indies. New South Wales from Australia won the tournament to pick up a prize money 2.5 million dollars. South Africa has been touted as a possible venue of this year's tournament.
