The puzzling selection of Sehwag..

An interesting decision may very well extend the worries of Yuvraj Singh once again. While the tour match pointed to Dravid opening the innings, and Yuvraj playing in the middle order, now there are reports which say that maybe Sehwag will open and Yuvraj will again have to wait. Now the question here is, why does Virender Sehwag even come in the fray? Let us go back a bit, and find out why he was dropped. He was dropped from the test team, because he was not playing well in the one-dayers. Sounds amusing, isn’t it? His record in tests is by far the best amongst recent Indian openers, and the problem was that he was not making runs in one-day internationals. Yet he was first dropped from the test team, then the one-dayers. Then he was selected in 20-20. Now he figures in the test team against Australia on the premise that he played well 4 years ago in Australia. Ever heard any more ludicrous explanation of any player getting selected? Sure he is a gifted player, and sure he should never have been ousted of the test team, but the logic of his selection now defies me. As they say, two wrongs do not make a right. And what incentive does it leave for players like Gautam Gambhir, Akash Chopra (who was equally instrumental 4 years ago in India’s performance against Australia) and Parthiv Patel, who have done well with the bat in the domestic season, as against Sehwag, who has literally done nothing. If that was the logic of his selection, even Ajit Agarkar should have gone. And in every series against every country, we should include those players who played well in the last series against that country. I somehow do not understand it. It may all turn out to be great if Viru fires, but the decision in itself sets incorrect precedents.

 

Secondly, Sunil Gavaskar has asked Indian team to take tough decisions and exclude Yuvraj Singh or Laxman from the squad and ask Sehwag to open. Mr. Gavaskar, there is a thin line between bravery and stupidity, and this decision may very well be on the other side. Isn’t asking Dravid to open a tough enough decision? Isn’t Dravid the most capable Indian batsman on such tracks? So shouldn’t we be brave enough to ask him to open (for he anyway is in the middle by 5 overs), and make room for Yuvraj, given his current form. On what parameter does Sehwag deserve his inclusion ahead of Laxman and Yuvraj? Somehow all this defies logic. The simple logic as I see it is - When in Australia, play you best team on current form. Not the best team as per the form 4 years ago!

 

I wish I am proven wrong if Sehwag plays, though more than that I wish that Yuvraj plays. He may be very instrumental in this tour against Australia, but only if he plays.

 

A positive start, a cracking statement, a fairytale comeback and pathetic pitches of India...

Anil Kumble must be a happy man. He deserves every ounce of success he has achieved, and his short tenure as the Indian captain has seen some refreshing changes in Indian cricket. The Kolkata test declaration was one of those, as mentioned in my last post. A lot of people were questioning his delayed declaration in the last test at Bangalore, but I think he was absolutely correct there. Why on earth should he jeopardize a given series victory for a sporting declaration? The very same media and critics would have taken Kumble to task had India lost after a sporting declaration. Knowing all this, anyone in his senses would do what Kumble did. Bat Pakistan out of the match. Just like for Pakistan it would not have mattered whether it is 0-1 or 0-2, and hence they should always have gone for a victory, for India it wouldn’t have mattered had it been 1-0 or 2-0, so they should have secured 1-0 first. Which is what they did. Hence full marks to Kumble; for a perfect start. When he needed a sporting declaration, he did that in Kolkata; and when it was of no use, he did not do that.

In the same match, Yuvraj Singh made a comeback, and what a cracking knock he played. The more you see this guy, the more you feel for him, as he remains outside the test team. I think he has proven a point, and he will play in Australia. How he will fit in, is anyone’s guess. My sense is that Dravid will be asked to open, as most of the time he is anyway out on the middle by over number 5. Dravid is in a precarious position too, with his average in the last 9 test matches (excluding matches against Bangladesh) around 30, and with Sachin, Saurav and Laxman in good nick, he will be under tremendous pressure after Yuvraj’s knock.

And how can we forget Saurav Ganguly. The man’s return has been nothing short of a fairytale. When everyone was busy writing him off, the guy was writing a script of his own. His average in the 2 years prior to being dropped from the team was just 34, spanning over 17 tests in which he scored 1 century against Zimbabwe and 4 half centuries ( 2 of them against Bangladesh). I think the decision to drop him was correct. The manner was debatable. After his return, his average from 11 tests is 59!! This includes 3 100s and 5 50s. His getting dropped probably allowed him and compelled him to focus more, which has been a big positive for Indian cricket. Greg Chappell’s move may not have been driven by this logic, but in totality the move was good for Indian cricket. It also made other guys focus much more, as no one could take his place for granted.

Finally, this discussion is incomplete without talking about the pitch in Bangalore. An absolutely pathetic and rubbish pitch, and only the curator can tell what it was supposed to achieve ahead of India’s tour to Australia. If it was supposed to turn, it didn’t. If it was supposed to ensure India’s test victory, I think only this pitch could have prevented India from winning the series. And I do not even want to comment about the bounce. Someone could have been injured on this rubbish track (Laxman nearly was). So if I can get any pointer on what it wanted to achieve, I will be blessed. The curator should be taken to task for this. But then, that will only happen if the BCCI finishes with the more ‘important’ and ‘pertinent’ matters such as to allow Vengsarkar to write in a column or not. Marvan Attapattu’s statement about Sri Lankan selectors can be used verbatim for BCCI as well. More on this sometime later.   

 

The brave new captain

Kumble declared in the second test against Pak in Kolkata with a target of less than 350 to get in more than 75 overs. While logically this is almost close to impossible, I do not think any other Indian captain, including Dravid and Ganguly, would have had the courage to do that. Looks a refreshingly good change for Indian cricket.

The brilliance at Eden Gardens

Wasim Jaffer's innings on Friday is one of the most fluent in the recent times by any batsman that I have seen. Such was the brilliance of the innings of this man that the batting of Dravid and Sachin paled in comparison. Rarely do we see a batsman maintain the spark of his innings through out the day as Jaffer did. You really had to search for any false shot. The disdain with which he hammered Sohail Tanveer was amazing to watch. The intent was aggressive, and the execution as clinical as you would ever see in test cricket. Exquisite batting!!

 

At the same time the Pak team looked in such disarray and players looked so disinterested that it looked like either they had not been paid for the last match or they simply thought they were playing for Habib Bank against National Bank of Pakistan (two domestic teams in Pakistan, and I bet even they would have shown more fight). Another point to ponder was the selection of Mohammad Sami. Same has taken 70 odd wickets in 32 test matches, at an average of over 50. It’s amazing how he has always looked talented, but never quite converted the talent into anything meaningful for Pakistan. He is a fighter but I guess now it is time that Pakistan look beyond him.

 

Elsewhere, Zimbabwe stunned West Indies in a one day match. This was their second upset in the past 6 months. If people thought their victory against Australia in 20-20 was pure fluke, today's performance should make some of the people believe that the Zimbabwe team is recovering. Or is it too early to say that?