Calcutta: Mahendra Singh Dhoni has kept the India captaincy.

That he’d stay at the helm, despite talk to the contrary in a section of the media, had been reported by The Telegraph on May 15, days after India’s early exit from the World T20.

Dhoni and a clutch of other seniors are back in the XV, for the June 15-25 Asia Cup in Sri Lanka, but Sachin Tendulkar has been rested (at his request) and Yuvraj Singh dropped.

Out, too, are the in-and-out categorywallahs Dinesh Karthik and Yusuf Pathan.

“Sachin’s kids (Sara, Arjun) have their vacations now and he requested for some more time with the family. A long season, after all, is about to begin... Yuvraj has been omitted on grounds of form and, to an extent, fitness,” a well-placed source said on Monday.

The source clarified that Yuvraj’s exclusion had nothing to do with any act of indiscipline, as suggested by some.

Yuvraj’s place has gone to the uncapped Saurabh Tiwary, the hard-hitter from Jharkhand who made quite an impression in the last IPL.

Asked whether Dhoni had much to say on the Yuvraj issue, the source replied: “No, not really...”

Yuvraj, who’ll soon be completing 10 years at the international level, managed just 22 in his last four ODIs (and two fifties in the last 10), but he remains one of our few match-winners and making him insecure is no way to prepare for the 2011 World Cup.

It would be understandable if Yuvraj feels that, in recent years, the same yardstick hasn’t been applied to others. The 28-year-old now has to prove himself all over again.

Unlucky with injuries (some may say in love, too!), Yuvraj has to quickly take a fresh guard. He’s been left with no choice.

While Dhoni was present during the selection committee meeting, in New Delhi, coach Gary Kirsten (who is in Zimbabwe), conveyed his “views” to chief selector Krishnamachari Srikkanth over the phone.

Bengal’s Ashok Dinda has kept his place, edging out Kolkata Knight Riders’ teammate Ishant Sharma. Like Ishant, Amit Mishra was “discussed,” but the selectors decided on Ravichandran Ashwin.

Vice-captain Virender Sehwag, who missed the World T20 owing to a shoulder injury, is back. As is Praveen Kumar, who couldn’t play after the first-round of the premier T20 meet.

Besides Dinda and Ashwin, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Pragyan Ojha and Ravindra Jadeja are the ‘survivors’ from Zimbabwe.