London: September 10, 2008 - Two Indian writers, Amitav Ghosh and Aravind Adiga, have been shortlisted for this year’s £50,000 Man Booker Prize, but the judges confounded critics and punters by leaving out Salman Rushdie, whose “Enchantress of Florence,” had been touted as a strong contender.

Also excluded were several other favourites, including Joseph O’Neill, whose “Netherland” about post-9/11 New York and cricket has been widely acclaimed, and the London-based Pakistani journalist Mohammed Hanif, who impressed critics with his blistering political satire, “A Case of Exploding Mangoes,” his first novel.

Ghosh is in the running for “Sea of Poppies,” and Adiga for his debut novel “The White Tiger,” which takes a hard look at the underbelly of India’s economic boom.

At 34, he is the youngest contender for the English-speaking world’s most prestigious literary award.

Others on the shortlist are: Linda Grant’s “The Clothes on their Backs”; Sebastian Berry’s “The Secret Scripture”, Steve Toltz’s “A Fraction of the Whole”, and Philip Hensher’s “The Northern Clemency.” They were chosen from a longlist of 13 announced in July.

Michael Portillo, former Tory politician-turned-critic-turned broadcaster, who chaired judges’ panel, said the all the six works were “intensely readable.”

Judges said they were pleased with the geographical balance and the literary mix the list represented but critics found it rather ‘thin.”

They were particularly disappointed over the omission of Rushdie, who recently won the Best of Booker Prize for “Midnight’s Children” and was the bookies’ favourite.

The prize would be announced in London on October 14 and early favourites include Amitav Ghosh and Aravind Adiga.