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Adelaide, Jan 24: Indian captain Anil Kumble on Wednesday expressed his disappointment at the timing of the announcement of the side for the ODI tri-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 told reporters here on the eve of the crucial fourth Test match.
The Indian 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 squad for the triangular series, involving Australia and Sri Lanka.
The team was announced Sunday, a day after India won the third Test match at Perth, and many felt that the timing was not appropriate as it could dampen the team's morale for the Adelaide Test, which India needs to win to square the series 2-2.
But Kumble 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.
The skipper 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 in all probability be the last tour to Australia for five of India’s finest - Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman and Kumble.
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 4-5 years from now, you'll have a good set of players to ensure India goes forward."