Selectors play it safe by Partab Ramchand

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Player:

SR Tendulkar, D Mongia

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DateLine: 22nd July 2006

 

The new season of 2006-2007 gets underway shortly and in case anyone needs reminding it is the season of the World Cup. A little over seven months from now the premier competition will begin in the West Indies and anything the Indian selectors or the tour management does from now on will be seen as a gesture towards building a World Cup winning squad. However for the opening campaign of the season - next month’s tri series in Sri Lanka - the selectors have played it safe and the average Indian cricket fan will have to wait and see if any bold or adventurous decisions are taken later in the season.

 

There were problems right down the list – batting, bowling and fielding – in the team’s 4-1 loss in the West Indies recently. But this has not sent panic waves through the selectors’ minds. They have continued to place their hopes on tried and trusted hands. Of course the return of Sachin Tendulkar is most welcome. One can only hope that he has recovered fully from the shoulder surgery that kept him out of action for four months. Besides boosting the batting his presence will obviously be a source of confidence and inspiration to the rest of his teammates and this can only augur well for the team’s chances in the tournament which features Sri Lanka and South Africa.

 

That said I still am not able to fathom the reasons behind this selection committee’s over enthusiasm for an all out pace attack. Five fast bowlers is too much of an extra load for a maximum of five matches. The main bowling line up in the final eleven is obviously going to be three seam bowlers and Harbhajan Singh with the many bits and pieces players chipping in. Given this scenario one of the quintet is bound to be a tourist. This place could well have gone to someone like Robin Uthappa for the team on the face of it does not have a reserve opening batsman. The middle order is well manned and Suresh Raina and Dinesh Mongia will obviously have to fight it out for the seventh batsman’s slot. The return of Mongia was always on the cards he being the in form player. Also as selection committee chairman Kiran More pointed out he can be useful too with the ball. There are now any number of occasional spin bowlers who can turn their arm over – Mongia, Yuvraj, Sehwag, Tendulkar – which means that someone like Ramesh Powar will get a look in only in a real emergency.

 

All in all it does look like a team good enough to make the final especially as one of the contestants is a depleted South African side. More important it remains to be seen whether the mistakes committed during the tour of the West Indies will be eradicated and the players are able to raise the level of their game and play up to potential. Indeed in Sri Lanka it would appear that the Indians will have to play beyond their potential to harbour any hopes of winning the tournament.

(Article: Copyright © 2006 CricketArchive)