Leicester Citys NGolo Kante has been named in the France squad for the first time. The talismanic midfielder has been called up for the upcoming friendlies against the Netherlands and Russia.Dimitri Payet of West Ham has also been included in Didier Deschamps 23-man selection. Kante has been an integral part of Leicesters unlikely rise to the summit of English football this season; he has made more tackles and interceptions (247) than any other player in Europes top five leagues.His selection came on the same day Roy Hodgson called up Kantes midfielder partner Danny Drinkwater to the England squad for the first time. Danny Drinkwater included in England squad for first time Leicester boss Claudio Ranieri feels that international call ups are just reward for the efforts of his previously unsung players.He said: NGolo Kanté understood immediately the tempo and rhythm of the Premier League. He is a strong player. This is another step. Some players who havent been with their national teams now start to get called up.Its good because it means were working well. He (Drinkwater) deserves it because all season hes working well with good quality and is now scoring goals.Hes always available for his team-mates. He has the personality to command a game and has a very good partnership with Kante. France manager Didier Deschamps Kante takes the place of Manchester Uniteds Morgan Schneiderlin in Deschamps squad.NGolo Kante is putting in high-level performances, Deschamps said.As for Schneiderlin, Deschamps added: Its not that I dont have confidence in Morgan, I know what he can do, but before making final decisions (on the Euro 2016 squad) its important that NGolo comes with us to get more answers. Dimitri Payet of West Ham is also included for the two friendly matches West Ham forward Payet moved to London last summer and has scored 11 times as Slaven Bilics side enjoy one of their best ever Premier League campaigns.Fellow English-based stars Hugo Lloris, Laurent Koscielny, Bacary Sagna, Mamadou Sakho, Yohan Cabaye, Moussa Sissoko, Olivier Giroud and Anthony Martial are all in the squad for the pair of March friendlies.France 23-man squad: Goalkeepers: Benoît Costil (Rennes), Hugo Lloris (Tottenham), Steve Mandanda (Marseille)Defenders: Lucas Digne (Roma), Patrice Evra (Juventus), Christophe Jallet (Lyon), Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal), Jérémy Mathieu (Barcelona), Bacary Sagna (Manchester City), Mamadou Sakho (Liverpool), Raphaël Varane (Real Madrid)Midfielders: Yohan Cabaye (Crystal Palace), Lassana Diarra (Marseille), Ngolo Kanté (Leicester), Blaise Matuidi (PSG), Paul Pogba (Juventus), Moussa Sissoko (Newcastle) Forwards: Kingsley Coman (Bayern Munich), André-Pierre Gignac (Tigres de Monterrey), Olivier Giroud (Arsenal), Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid), Anthony Martial (Manchester United), Dimitri Payet (West Ham) Also See: Ligue 1 fixtures Ligue 1 table Bet £5 Get £20 Free Wholesale Sharks Jerseys . Manager Alex Ferguson says the injury was sustained while the player tried to hit a volley toward the end of training on Tuesday. Cheap Adidas Sharks Jerseys . Scott scored a career-high 30 points, Jeff Teague added 28 and the Hawks rallied to beat the New York Knicks 107-98 on Saturday night. "We were down Paul, down so many bodies," Scott said. http://www.cheapsharksjerseys.com/ . 42 sitting next to the bench. The 57-year-old with greying hair couldnt box out or grab a rebound, but owner Ted Leonsis waved his red towel and egged on a cheering crowd that chanted "Free Nene!" The Wizards did just fine without the suspended Brazilian forward. Cheap Adidas NHL Jerseys . Ben Street scored twice for the Heat (17-5-1), who won their fourth game in a row and 13th in their last 14 outings. Brett Bulmer scored the lone goal for the Wild (6-11-0), who dropped their sixth straight contest. Cheap San Jose Sharks Jerseys . A veteran of 16 NHL seasons, Prospals career was highlighted by him ranking fourth in points scored, third in assists and sixth in games played among all Czech Republic born players in NHL history. TOKYO -- Canada is down 2-1 to Japan in its best-of-five World Group Davis Cup series following a doubles match loss on Saturday. Torontos Daniel Nestor and Frank Dancevic of Niagara Falls, Ont., fell to Japans Kei Nishikori and Yasutaka Uchiyama 6-3, 7-6 (3), 4-6, 6-4. Both teams made player substitutions prior to the match as Dancevic went in for Vancouvers Vasek Pospisil, who is still recovering from a back injury. Nishikori subbed in for Yuichi Sugita on the Japanese side. The match marked the first time Dancevic and Nestor had played together in three years. "I thought those guys came out really strong and we really didnt take advantage of our chances," said Canadian captain Martin Laurendeau. "The guys fought really hard and it was really a matter of a few points." The Canadian pair got out to an early lead in the second set but Japan broke back to force the tiebreak, and capitalized to take a two-set advantage before Nestor and Dancevic captured the third set.dddddddddddd For Nestor, the loss was only his eighth in Davis Cup doubles play in his entire 22-year career representing Canada. It was also the first loss for Dancevic and Nestor as a pair, who entered the contest undefeated together with a 3-0 record. Canada is currently ranked No. 7 on the Davis Cup Nations ranking while Japan sits at No. 12. Japan owns a 5-0 record against Canada in Davis Cup action, but the two countries had not played each other since 1938 prior to this tournament. Dancevic will play World No. 18 Nishikori in a must-win singles match on Sunday. If a fifth and final match is needed, Peter Polansky of Thornhill, Ont., will face Go Soeda, also on Sunday. The nations split their opening pair of first-round singles matches on Friday, with Nishikori defeating Polansky in straight sets 6-4, 6-4, 6-4, before Canada pulled even on the strength of Dancevics 6-4, 7-6 (2), 6-1 victory over Soeda. ' ' '