It turned out to be good outing for Salvi, who with impressive spells further enhanced his reputation as a seamer of immense potential. The 21-year-old medium-fast bowler, whose natural delivery moves out to a right-handed batsman at a good pace was a revelation in the Carib Beer Series in West Indies where he played for India "A", scalping 29 victims in eight matches.

Haryana's Mishra, who has shown glimpses of being a talented leg-spinner having claimed wickets by bagfuls in domestic circuit, did not disappoint in his debut match against the combative South Africa, getting the key scalp of Neil McKenzei. Delhi opener Gambhir, after emerging the highest scorer in the recent India "A" tour of West Indies besides being a consistent performer in domestic matches, had just one good knock of 71 to his credit against Bangladesh.

So many youngsters making their debut in the same series with the encouragement and backing of the skipper is, in fact, a welcome departure from the practice of the past when talented youngsters having made it to the squad after shedding a lot of sweat were used to be shown the door without a fair trial. Besides, selections to the Indian squad had been marked by inexplicable peculiarities. Tamil Nadu seamer Lakshmipathy Balaji had taken wickets in the domestic circuit but he was badgered in the one-day series match against the rampaging West Indies batsman on a placid track, where most of the established bowlers were struggling to keep their reputations intact. The hapless Balaji was clobbered all over the park in the four overs that he got to bowl. Nothing has been heard of the hapless Balaji since then.

Left-arm spinner Murali Kartik, on the fringe for so many years, with his clever variations in flight, angle and guile was a better bowler than Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble in the same series. Kartik was at his best in the sixth one-dayer at Jodhpur, where he mesmerised the visitors, scalping three for 36 in his 10 overs. In was presumed that Kartik being a left-armer and a reasonable batsman had at last made the grade. The Railways’ trump card was part of the Test squad to the subsequent New Zealand Test series where he did not get to play even a single game before being dumped from the one-day squad.

Baroda medium pacer Rakesh Patel, considered a national prospect not long back, was part of the one-day squad to New Zealand but returned home after cooling his heels on the sidelines. Kerala's Tinu Yohannan during the England tour remained merely a passenger. The Kerala seamer had made a successful debut at Mohali when England last visited India.

In the tri-series match against South Africa, which India lost by five wickets three off-spinners ( Harbhajan Singh, Sarandeep Singh and Virender Sehwag) bowled as many as 28 overs among them while

Amit Mishra, an orthodox leg-spinner and very much part of the 15-member squad, watched the proceeding from outside.

The Indian cricket, as it has proved during the recent past, is on the upswing. The need of the hour is to consolidate the gains by building a second line of players, who could walk in and perform if and when the need arises. The hectic international calendar is bound to take its toll on the players. Besides, there is need to rotate players, particularly fast bowlers, in order to save them from burnout and fatigue.

The Australian example is there for all to follow. Who would have imagined before the World Cup that Andy Bichel who was not even sure of a berth in the playing eleven would play emerge a leading all rounder and play a crucial role in Australia retaining the title. Or Australia would coast home without having really been tested in the absence of best slow bowler of the generation Shane Warne and wily fast bowler Jason Gillespie for a major part of the competition.

Batting, for long, has been India's forte, while bowling, especially when it comes to hurling the cherry fast, its Achilles' heel. Pace spearhead Javagal Srinath, after having served Indian cricket with distinction for so long, is undecided about his future. His statemate leg-spinner Anil Kumble is not the bowler he once was. Uncertainty clouds the future of the illustrious leggie at least vis-a-vis one-dayers as he was reduced to a virtual spectator during the World Cup. Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra have done a world of good to Indian cricket and are crucial to India's future plans but they are highly prone to injuries. Inconsistency has been the hallmark of Ajit Agarkar, an otherwise talented pace bowling all rounder.

It is, therefore, imperative that the youngsters, who have shown promise, be given an opportunity to get proper exposure to find their feet at the highest level and not dumped in haste. After all, international cricket is a lot about spotting the right talent, giving it break at the right time and allowing it to develop. The Indian coach John Wright has said the pace bowling attack would be key to India's success during India's tour to Australia late this year. For this, besides the current pace attack, the likes of Youhannans, Balajis and Irfan Pathans need to be encouraged and made to fine-tune their skills further. A strong bench strength is what India need if they are to be rated there among the very best in the world.