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Tough call
Greg Chappell and Rahul Dravid have forged such a fine rapport and enduring partnership over the past 12 months that they eye the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies as the ultimate trophy to be won before Team India can rest on their laurels. They have seen the highs and lows in the past year, and they hope to draw from those experiences to mould the best available talent in the country into a winning combination. Team India’s tour to the West Indies recently taught them quite a few lessons, particularly after their 1-4 hiding in the ODIs, which will stand them in good stead when they throw their hat into the World Cup ring. The ODI reversal in the Caribbean had come after 17 straight wins by India while batting second, which has been a remarkable feat. Though the Test series victory offset the ODI loss against the Windies, India cannot afford to be complacent. They would have to work hard if they hope to ascend the World Cup throne. Though the World Cup in the Caribbean islands is nearly seven and a half months away, the Chappell-Dravid duo have to sort out a few things to get that near-perfect balance in the team. The upcoming tri-series in Sri Lanka, featuring the hosts, India and South Africa (August 14 to 29), will be the first opportunity for the duo to assess the talent given to them. The fringe players will have no choice but to perform or perish, while the seniors with a history of injuries will have to shape up or ship out. Those who have missed the bus for Lanka may yet get a chance in the tri-series featuring India, Australia and West Indies in Singapore and Malaysia (September 12 to 24) or the biennial knockout ICC Champions Trophy in India (October 7-November 5) to prove their worth. There will also be a possible tri-series featuring India, West Indies and Sri Lanka, to be hosted by India in January-February, 2007, just before the World Cup, as the final roll call for the World Cup aspirants. But the present selection committee chairman Kiran More will not be in office to pick the World Cup squad as his term ends in August. India will have about 20-odd one-day international matches to try out all the permutations and combinations before zeroing in on the World Cup squad. India have been experimenting with the ODI team for the past year in a bid to cobble together a solid side. Sadly, the experiment continues without arriving at a definite conclusion. There will, therefore, be chances aplenty for all the World Cup hopefuls to prove their credentials. But the selectors and the board are expected to play the team selection game fair and square. V.V.S. Laxman was a notable victim the last time when his fabulous performances were overlooked to give the nod to Dinesh Mongia. Talented players like Venugopala Rao and Robin Uthappa, who have been cast away from the tri-series team despite good displays in the West Indies, and veterans like Anil Kumble and Laxman, Laxmipathi Balaji, Ashish Nehra, Zaheer Khan, Hemang Badani, S. Sriram, Murali Kartik, Dinesh Kaarthick are all waiting in the wings for a call-up. Sure, the gap between the first 15 and the rest 15 is quite wide, but it is up to the selectors to pick the best for the World Cup, by using the series of ODIs coming up in the next few months in a judicious manner. “We believe in the horses-for-courses policy in selection matters”, More had observed recently. The return of Sachin Tendulkar to Team India after a four-month hiatus, following a shoulder injury, and the recall of Punjab Ranji Trophy captain Dinesh Mongia after being in the wilderness for around 15 months, are pointers to the team management’s eagerness to give a fair chance to all those who want to stake their claim for a World Cup slot. Team India, under the dynamic command of Rahul Dravid, who has maintained his second spot in the LG ICC ranking list, have some proven performers whose slots are tenable. The litmus test are for those “who are there, yet not quite there”. Greg Chappell’s recent refrain that “players would select themselves in, or select themselves out, through their performances” gives out great hope for the deserving. He will not close the doors on anyone, without being given a fair trial. This is sweet music for all those, including Anil Kumble and former captain Sourav Ganguly, who fancy their chances for berths in the World Cup squad. But contradictory voices from responsible quarters in the selection committee and the board, however, send out confusing signals. Take the case of Sachin Tendulkar. Sachin was out of combat for four months after a shoulder surgery. A few days before he was picked for the tri-series in Sri Lanka, Sachin himself was non-committal about his fitness. He was supposed to be put on a fitness test before being considered for selection. But physical trainer Gregory King felt that Sachin was fit enough to be in the team without being subjected to a fitness test rigmarole. Sachin is such a great player and proven performer that he should be given some leeway to get back into form, and regain his confidence. He may or may not be fully fit, but a couple of good knocks in Lanka would give a big boost to his confidence. But the spoilsports have reared their heads to put Sachin in a spot. Now they say that he is not “100 per cent fit” and would not be able to throw from the deep. And he will be able to field only in the 30-yard circle. But as long as he gets the runs, how does it matter whether he is 100 per cent fit or not? Give him room to perform with the bat. If he doesn’t deliver, tell him to step aside, and make room for others. Leave that to his conscience. Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar deserves that much consideration for all that he has done for Indian cricket. Let the selectors and the board not treat Sachin the shabby manner in which they had treated Sourav Ganguly, the most successful Indian cricket captain. With Sachin’s inclusion, the uncertainty about the opener’s slot will hopefully be solved (If Sachin is finally made to play, that is). Virender Sehwag has had the enviable reputation of opening with eight or nine partners in the past few months. Even Irfan Pathan was pushed into the open, which Chappell has now regretted, had put added pressure on the strike bowler, contributing to his slump in the West Indies. Rahul Dravid, too, has often promoted himself to open the innings to serve the team’s cause. But for how long? Sure, India need to find a stable opening pair before the World Cup, and a beginning in this department has to be made in Lanka. A strong middle order is also a necessary requirement for Team India, as often the middle order has been found wanting, despite being very strong on paper. But can Mongia, who has been included in the team in his new avatar as an “allrounder”, give the fillip needed in the middle order? The 29-year-old Mongia had not done anything spectacular for Team India till his last outing against Pakistan in Delhi in April 2005 barring the odd knocks. He has now been recalled on the strength of his performances in domestic tournaments and for his English county Leicestershire, though the same privilege has not been accorded to Zaheer Khan, who has performed better than Mongia in county games, picking around 48 wickets. But the Punjab player feels that he would get a fair deal under the Greg-Dravid dispensation under whom he would be playing for the first time. From a southpaw batsman to an “all-rounder,” Mongia seems to have come a long way, and it is now up to him to justify this tag. Mongia can be useful as a left-arm spin option since Harbhajan and Powar are off-spinners. Mercifully, the selectors have not discounted Zaheer’s return to the team. But the point is what more he needs to do to get back into the Indian team. Wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni needs to buck up his act behind the wicket as well as in front. It’s time Yuvraj Singh, too, came up with a big knock. Yuvraj, who is also a useful left-arm spinner, could not really get going in the West Indies. But he’s a talented player who can come good on the slow pitches of Sri Lanka. The problem with Dhoni is that he does not get many overs to display his batting pyrotechnics, coming down at No. 7, and will be quite happy to be promoted in the batting order. Greg and Dravid will not be averse to promoting Dhoni in the batting order if the middle order continues to flounder. If Sachin and Mongia play, then Suresh Raina will be forced to warm the bench, though he has proved his worth as a player for a long haul. Mohammad Kaif will be put into operation after his decent displays in the West Indies, and he should seize this chance to cement his place in the team. The Sri Lankan wickets are slow like in the West Indies and the experience gained in Lanka will stand the World Cup hopefuls in good stead. The tri series will be very challenging for the Indians as the hosts are not only riding high on their batting with skipper Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara showing the way after they put on the highest-ever partnership for the third wicket in Test cricket with a matchless 624, but Murali has been running amok, scalping wickets by the bagful. Jayawardene has turned Lanka into a potent one-day force following the withdrawal of Marvan Atapattu with an injury. And coach Tom Moody has contributed much for the Lankan team’s turnaround by instilling the virtue of playing as a “team”. India have not won a series in Lanka since 1998, and that is all the more reason Team India should do well there this time round. The inclusion of five medium pacers in the squad is perhaps to test out seam strength and give maximum run to quickies like Irfan Pathan, S Sreesanth, Munaf Patel, R.P Singh and Ajit Agarkar, while Harbhajan Singh and Romesh Powar, along with Mongia and Yuvraj Singh, will manage the spin department. Though Munaf and Sreesanth have been successful in West Indies, they should be able to master the reverse swing for which the Lankan series will give them an opportunity to experiment. And how the Indian attack tackles the Lankan batsmen at the slow Premadasa Stadium and the Sinhalese Sports Club ground will be interesting to watch.
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