The Test team for Australia series has been announced. Looks like another round of patchy and predictable work by the selectors.....
They rightly dropped Gambhir after giving an undeservedly long rope to him. Credit is due to them for taking this much awaited decision - albeit a highly delayed one. Gambhir has 360 runs at an average of 30 in his last 12 Test innings with zero century and just two fifties to his name. Sehwag has 450 runs in his last 12 Test innings at an average of 37 with one hundred and only one fifty to his name. BCCI's current favourite - Ashwin has 14 wickets in his last 8 Test innings with a best of 3 for 80. Ishant has 18 wickets in his last 18 Test innings with a best of 3 for 49. Both of them have to really step up against the likes of Clarke, Warner, Watson, etc. if they have to go to South Africa after this home series. By the way, the next four Test series of India are on foreign soil.
For want of credible options, Harbhajan looks the best bet to either replace Ashwin or join him in the team as the other spin option? Even today, he appears to be a more skillful off-spinner than Ashwin. Bhajji has the guile, the skill and the experience to exploit any pitch condition and he is certainly not a spent force...no way. In the recent Irani Cup, Bhajji appeared to be regaining his rhythm, confidence and form for which he is known for. Hope Bhajji gets back to his menacing best by Feb22nd to trouble Clarke and his boys. India needs Bhajji – the fighter, to fire full throttle against the Aussies.
Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan - the two who got the nod ahead of Jaffer, simply seem to have got lucky. How about taking a look at the consistency and first class (akin to Tests) performance of these three claimants during 2012-13 season to back their claims for the Test opener spot. Jaffer made 1016 runs in 13 innings (80, 19, 79, 71, 18, 67, 171, 150, 33, 15, 132, 80 and 101*) with 3 centuries and 5 half centuries at a fantastic average of 85. In comparison, M.Vijay has 289 runs in 10 innings (15, 0, 17, 3, 13, 42, 24, 24, 116 and 35) with one century and no half century at a dismal average of 29 and Shikhar Dhawan has 524 runs in 13 innings (22, 55, 30, 104, 8, 32, 38, 13, 13, 116, 30, 63 and 0) with one century and one fifty at an average of 44. The fact of the matter lies in the performance and abilities gap between Jaffer and the next best option - Dhawan towards the Test opener slot. Clearly, this also speaks about the lack of young quality players in the talent pool/pipeline.
Jaffer - with his class, temperament, commitment and this year’s performance backing him up would have simply walked into the India Test XI. The solidity and stability that Jaffer would have provided at the top of the order is not an option available with either M.Vijay or Shikhar Dhawan. Lo and behold, selectors had the audacity to leave him out, one more time. It was time they had done justice to his talent, class, commitment and hard work. Wish they hadn’t ignored atleast his last few innings - especially the two Irani Cup innings and the one in Ranji Final. For sure, he has looked in total command over his art/game during the last few years. Yes, at 35, he is in the same age bracket of Sehwag and five years younger than the genius - SRT himself. But what has age got to do with it,so long,one can deliver at the highest level. Jack Hobbs made 100+ first class centuries after his 40th birthday. Of course, that was another era and a different time altogether.
Hope and pray the selected openers -Vijay and Dhawan, get lucky against the likes of Siddle, Starc and Johnson and do well Down Under. And, then, these openers and the Team faces the troika of Steyn, Morkel and Philander in South Africa, on their tracks. Hope the selectors kept all of this in mind before giving nod to these two gentlemen.
Rahane - with sound technique and temperament, has rightly been picked for his prolific record in domestic cricket, He surely deserves a look in at No.6 in Tests. For that matter, S.Badrinath and Md.Kaif - who have been waiting in the wings for long, and are the other perennial contenders – if at all Rahane doesn’t click on the tour, for some reason. However, team management must place full confidence in Rahane, He deserves an extended run there to prove his credentials. In any case, Aussie bowlers will make sure Rahane is tested to the hilt and he will be baptised by fire. Hope he delivers up to his talent and promise. This would also open up the options - in likelihood of the Master deciding to retire from Tests in near future.
Raina - not picked for the Test team, looks a right decision. He is a proven ODI and T20 performer. But he is yet not there as far as Tests are concerned, especially when the opposition is the level of Australian pace battery and when the next Test opposition is of the quality of South African fast bowlers on their own pitches.
Bhuvanesh Kumar has been a revelation in ODIs and the renowned art of swing bowling is back in reckoning because of him. Hope he will continue his superb form in Tests and will surprise the quality Aussie batting line up. He surely deserved a Test cap and a decent run there.
Ravindra Jadeja, albeit a certainty in ODIs, didn’t merit a place in the Test team. He doesn’t appear to have the technique, skill and class for a Test No.6 batsman and especially when India has some far more skillful and better equipped options - sitting on the fringes of Indian Team. As a left arm bowling option, I would always prefer a pure specialist (Bhajji or Ojha) in Tests in place of a part-timer Jadeja. Justifying his inclusion in Test XI for team balance appears to be a bogey here. Jadeja - for his accuracy, suits the shorter formats and his place is there. Wonder what extra consideration made the selectors choose him ahead of some better options. Ojha - the highest wicket taker of recent England series certainly merits a place in the Test XI - at least on the dust bowl domestic tracks.
Struggling Ashwin and Ishant are the other two names who once again find themselves lucky. Ashwin needed to go back to domestic cricket to enhance his skills, develop the right line and some variety and improve his fitness. International batsmen appear to have gotten used to his predictable pause before bowling and also to his carrom ball. Without the help of a crumbling, dusty, turning Indian tracks, Ashwin looks a Ranji level offie. Unless Ashwin improves his off stump line and required guile in his armoury, he also won't have the desired success on tracks abroad. Having said that, luck may still smile on both Jadeja and Ashwin and they may find themselves amongst some wickets on our unprepared, turning, helpful, dust bowl tracks but will that be a long term stable solution to the team's spin problems at hand.
Ishant on the other hand, despite having the talent, the speed and ample chances in all formats of the game doesn't seem to have grown enough as a bowler. Lack of consistency, variation, discipline, and dependability remain perennial issues with him. And this is all Ishant has delivered thus far with solid 45+ Tests behind him till date. He, again, has been simply lucky to have gotten these number of chances - be it on account of injury issues to other pacers or due to lack of enough talent in the pool. But this cannot go on forever. Ishant would have to get his acts together and raise his bar or else the clamour for his ouster is bound to grow louder. He will surely do himself a favour by taking the Ashwin prescription, soon.
Ashok Dinda’s name - ahead of Sreesanth and Shami Ahmed, was somewhat surprising. With Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron and Irfan Pathan in the current injured list, options for selectors were limited though. However, Sreesanth, despite his no-balls and inconsistencies, has some wicket taking ability and that could have been a plus for the side in case Ishant failed in the first Test. Shami, with his disciplined pace in the range of 135-140 kmph and with a decent performance (in the recent ODI series against England) backing him up, could also have been a better option than Dinda.
And no Ishwar Pandey in the team?? He looks an outstanding and genuine talent. Natural clean action, ability to make good use of his height and more importantly, the ability to swing both ways along with good control over line and length catapulted him to this season’s highest wicket taker in Ranji Trophy. A stint with national Test team would have done wonders for his confidence, exposure and learning. However, he has time and will get his chances. Pandey would do no harm to his deeds if he adds a few yards to his pace and the rest should follow. Hope he is nurtured well and taken care of by BCCI.
Following the norm of mediocrity in India's cricketing selection matters, yet again, a number of questionable decisions defying rationale can, therefore, be clearly seen in the mix picked for upcoming Test series. Overall, this was a very average job by the Selectors. The forthcoming series provided a great opportunity for selectors to plug in the gaps and bring in the desired balance. Ignoring the present, one just can't have an eye on future all the time. One has to have an eye on the present too to achieve that right balance. This could have been achieved by allowing a mix of experienced seniors and a bunch of youngsters some good time on the field and a chance to be amongst some wickets and runs, before they left for South African shores. Hope better sense and strategy prevails while selecting the Team for the last two Tests of the Aussie series.The yardstick of selectors for doing a good job at it is not in the naming of absolute certainties - as those names select themselves, but in selecting the replacements and the fringe players. The right mix of experience and youth and the optimal balance can only be arrived if one has an eye on both the present and the future.
Footnote:
Shikhar Dhawan – based on his temperament, first class numbers and current form, definitely merits a look in at the top of the order in ODIs and T20s - in place of Sehwag. Ambati Rayudu - for his hard work and potential, deserves a chance in ODIs and T20 teams. Rayudu appears to have the right attitude and looks ready for the shorter versions. Manoj Tiwary is another one who (if fit) deserves a longer run in the ODI and T20 squads. Ishwar Pandey - for his sheer talent and potential, may also be given a chance in ODIs, sooner than later. International exposure will provide him a world of confidence and a great learning experience.
They rightly dropped Gambhir after giving an undeservedly long rope to him. Credit is due to them for taking this much awaited decision - albeit a highly delayed one. Gambhir has 360 runs at an average of 30 in his last 12 Test innings with zero century and just two fifties to his name. Sehwag has 450 runs in his last 12 Test innings at an average of 37 with one hundred and only one fifty to his name. BCCI's current favourite - Ashwin has 14 wickets in his last 8 Test innings with a best of 3 for 80. Ishant has 18 wickets in his last 18 Test innings with a best of 3 for 49. Both of them have to really step up against the likes of Clarke, Warner, Watson, etc. if they have to go to South Africa after this home series. By the way, the next four Test series of India are on foreign soil.
For want of credible options, Harbhajan looks the best bet to either replace Ashwin or join him in the team as the other spin option? Even today, he appears to be a more skillful off-spinner than Ashwin. Bhajji has the guile, the skill and the experience to exploit any pitch condition and he is certainly not a spent force...no way. In the recent Irani Cup, Bhajji appeared to be regaining his rhythm, confidence and form for which he is known for. Hope Bhajji gets back to his menacing best by Feb22nd to trouble Clarke and his boys. India needs Bhajji – the fighter, to fire full throttle against the Aussies.
Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan - the two who got the nod ahead of Jaffer, simply seem to have got lucky. How about taking a look at the consistency and first class (akin to Tests) performance of these three claimants during 2012-13 season to back their claims for the Test opener spot. Jaffer made 1016 runs in 13 innings (80, 19, 79, 71, 18, 67, 171, 150, 33, 15, 132, 80 and 101*) with 3 centuries and 5 half centuries at a fantastic average of 85. In comparison, M.Vijay has 289 runs in 10 innings (15, 0, 17, 3, 13, 42, 24, 24, 116 and 35) with one century and no half century at a dismal average of 29 and Shikhar Dhawan has 524 runs in 13 innings (22, 55, 30, 104, 8, 32, 38, 13, 13, 116, 30, 63 and 0) with one century and one fifty at an average of 44. The fact of the matter lies in the performance and abilities gap between Jaffer and the next best option - Dhawan towards the Test opener slot. Clearly, this also speaks about the lack of young quality players in the talent pool/pipeline.
Jaffer - with his class, temperament, commitment and this year’s performance backing him up would have simply walked into the India Test XI. The solidity and stability that Jaffer would have provided at the top of the order is not an option available with either M.Vijay or Shikhar Dhawan. Lo and behold, selectors had the audacity to leave him out, one more time. It was time they had done justice to his talent, class, commitment and hard work. Wish they hadn’t ignored atleast his last few innings - especially the two Irani Cup innings and the one in Ranji Final. For sure, he has looked in total command over his art/game during the last few years. Yes, at 35, he is in the same age bracket of Sehwag and five years younger than the genius - SRT himself. But what has age got to do with it,so long,one can deliver at the highest level. Jack Hobbs made 100+ first class centuries after his 40th birthday. Of course, that was another era and a different time altogether.
Hope and pray the selected openers -Vijay and Dhawan, get lucky against the likes of Siddle, Starc and Johnson and do well Down Under. And, then, these openers and the Team faces the troika of Steyn, Morkel and Philander in South Africa, on their tracks. Hope the selectors kept all of this in mind before giving nod to these two gentlemen.
Rahane - with sound technique and temperament, has rightly been picked for his prolific record in domestic cricket, He surely deserves a look in at No.6 in Tests. For that matter, S.Badrinath and Md.Kaif - who have been waiting in the wings for long, and are the other perennial contenders – if at all Rahane doesn’t click on the tour, for some reason. However, team management must place full confidence in Rahane, He deserves an extended run there to prove his credentials. In any case, Aussie bowlers will make sure Rahane is tested to the hilt and he will be baptised by fire. Hope he delivers up to his talent and promise. This would also open up the options - in likelihood of the Master deciding to retire from Tests in near future.
Raina - not picked for the Test team, looks a right decision. He is a proven ODI and T20 performer. But he is yet not there as far as Tests are concerned, especially when the opposition is the level of Australian pace battery and when the next Test opposition is of the quality of South African fast bowlers on their own pitches.
Bhuvanesh Kumar has been a revelation in ODIs and the renowned art of swing bowling is back in reckoning because of him. Hope he will continue his superb form in Tests and will surprise the quality Aussie batting line up. He surely deserved a Test cap and a decent run there.
Ravindra Jadeja, albeit a certainty in ODIs, didn’t merit a place in the Test team. He doesn’t appear to have the technique, skill and class for a Test No.6 batsman and especially when India has some far more skillful and better equipped options - sitting on the fringes of Indian Team. As a left arm bowling option, I would always prefer a pure specialist (Bhajji or Ojha) in Tests in place of a part-timer Jadeja. Justifying his inclusion in Test XI for team balance appears to be a bogey here. Jadeja - for his accuracy, suits the shorter formats and his place is there. Wonder what extra consideration made the selectors choose him ahead of some better options. Ojha - the highest wicket taker of recent England series certainly merits a place in the Test XI - at least on the dust bowl domestic tracks.
Struggling Ashwin and Ishant are the other two names who once again find themselves lucky. Ashwin needed to go back to domestic cricket to enhance his skills, develop the right line and some variety and improve his fitness. International batsmen appear to have gotten used to his predictable pause before bowling and also to his carrom ball. Without the help of a crumbling, dusty, turning Indian tracks, Ashwin looks a Ranji level offie. Unless Ashwin improves his off stump line and required guile in his armoury, he also won't have the desired success on tracks abroad. Having said that, luck may still smile on both Jadeja and Ashwin and they may find themselves amongst some wickets on our unprepared, turning, helpful, dust bowl tracks but will that be a long term stable solution to the team's spin problems at hand.
Ishant on the other hand, despite having the talent, the speed and ample chances in all formats of the game doesn't seem to have grown enough as a bowler. Lack of consistency, variation, discipline, and dependability remain perennial issues with him. And this is all Ishant has delivered thus far with solid 45+ Tests behind him till date. He, again, has been simply lucky to have gotten these number of chances - be it on account of injury issues to other pacers or due to lack of enough talent in the pool. But this cannot go on forever. Ishant would have to get his acts together and raise his bar or else the clamour for his ouster is bound to grow louder. He will surely do himself a favour by taking the Ashwin prescription, soon.
Ashok Dinda’s name - ahead of Sreesanth and Shami Ahmed, was somewhat surprising. With Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron and Irfan Pathan in the current injured list, options for selectors were limited though. However, Sreesanth, despite his no-balls and inconsistencies, has some wicket taking ability and that could have been a plus for the side in case Ishant failed in the first Test. Shami, with his disciplined pace in the range of 135-140 kmph and with a decent performance (in the recent ODI series against England) backing him up, could also have been a better option than Dinda.
And no Ishwar Pandey in the team?? He looks an outstanding and genuine talent. Natural clean action, ability to make good use of his height and more importantly, the ability to swing both ways along with good control over line and length catapulted him to this season’s highest wicket taker in Ranji Trophy. A stint with national Test team would have done wonders for his confidence, exposure and learning. However, he has time and will get his chances. Pandey would do no harm to his deeds if he adds a few yards to his pace and the rest should follow. Hope he is nurtured well and taken care of by BCCI.
Following the norm of mediocrity in India's cricketing selection matters, yet again, a number of questionable decisions defying rationale can, therefore, be clearly seen in the mix picked for upcoming Test series. Overall, this was a very average job by the Selectors. The forthcoming series provided a great opportunity for selectors to plug in the gaps and bring in the desired balance. Ignoring the present, one just can't have an eye on future all the time. One has to have an eye on the present too to achieve that right balance. This could have been achieved by allowing a mix of experienced seniors and a bunch of youngsters some good time on the field and a chance to be amongst some wickets and runs, before they left for South African shores. Hope better sense and strategy prevails while selecting the Team for the last two Tests of the Aussie series.The yardstick of selectors for doing a good job at it is not in the naming of absolute certainties - as those names select themselves, but in selecting the replacements and the fringe players. The right mix of experience and youth and the optimal balance can only be arrived if one has an eye on both the present and the future.
Footnote:
Shikhar Dhawan – based on his temperament, first class numbers and current form, definitely merits a look in at the top of the order in ODIs and T20s - in place of Sehwag. Ambati Rayudu - for his hard work and potential, deserves a chance in ODIs and T20 teams. Rayudu appears to have the right attitude and looks ready for the shorter versions. Manoj Tiwary is another one who (if fit) deserves a longer run in the ODI and T20 squads. Ishwar Pandey - for his sheer talent and potential, may also be given a chance in ODIs, sooner than later. International exposure will provide him a world of confidence and a great learning experience.
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