Kevin Pietersen has been overlooked from England's Test squad to tour India, which features new boys Joe Root and Nick Compton.
Batsman overlooked for winter tour; Root and Compton included
Kevin Pietersen's exile from international cricket shows no sign of ending any time soon after England overlooked the batsman from their 16-man squad for this winter's tour of India.
The controversial right-hander was a notable absence from a new-look squad which includes Yorkshire opening batsman Joe Root and Somerset's Nick Compton.
Root, 21, who was named the Cricket Writers' Club young cricketer of the year on Monday, and Compton have both been rewarded for excellent domestic campaigns.
Compton, 29, finished as the leading run-scorer in Division One of the LV= County Championship and has now been given the opportunity to emulate his grandfather Denis by playing Test cricket.
Root opened the batting for Yorkshire averaging 43.41 and could fill the vacant batting position left by the retirement of Andrew Strauss.
Opportunity
Alastair Cook will lead the side following the summer retirement of Strauss and the selectors must now decide who will open the batting alongside the Essex left-hander in the four-Test series with India.
Essex batsman Ravi Bopara has lost his place in the Test squad after a poor run of form in the second half of the season, while James Taylor, who replaced Bopara in the team for two Tests against South Africa, also misses out.
England have named three spin bowlers in the squad, with Samit Patel and Monty Panesar providing back-up for Graeme Swann in what will be spin-friendly conditions in the sub-continent.
National selector Geoff Miller said: "Nick Compton has performed well consistently for Somerset in County cricket this season, made big hundreds and shown that he has the temperament and the technique to play at a higher level.
"Joe Root is a player who has been successful at every level from County cricket through to EPP (England Performance Programme) and England Lions, and he deserves this opportunity to step up to the next level and press his case for a place in the Test side. "
Speaking on the omission of Pietersen, who was axed from England's last Test match of the summer against South Africa, ECB Managing Director Hugh Morris, added: "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 and Kevin has not been considered for selection for the India tour."
Miller, however, believes Pietersen has a future in the national set-up.
"He might do, we will wait and see," he said. "He could do, it depends on when those issues are resolved.
"This is not a Kevin Pietersen issue, this is about an England side going out to India on a tough tour."
England Test squad:
Alastair Cook (capt), James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Ian Bell, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Nick Compton, Steven Finn, Eoin Morgan, Graham Onions, Monty Panesar, Samit Patel, Matt Prior, Joe Root, Graeme Swann, Jonathan Trott.
