The in-form team: the selectors

Amit Varma

Many many years ago, long before this writer was born, a dashing young Indian batsman missed the chance to become the second Indian after Vijay Hazare to score a century in each innings of a Test match. He made a hundred in the first, and was out for 96 in the second. It must have hurt then. It should not hurt now. Because that batsman was Chandu Borde, and as chairman of the Indian selection committee, he has not fallen short this time, and has more than vindicated himself.

They used to say about Brazil that every Brazilian was a selector of the national soccer team, with his own Brazil team selected in his mind and ready to play. Well, Indians are no less passionate about their cricket, and ever since Indian cricket has existed, it's always the selectors who have borne the brunt of the fan's fury, who have been castigated for having zonal biases, for not knowing their cricket and once, quite justly in that case, for being a pack of jokers. But if anyone's had a good season this year, it's the much-maligned Indian selection committee. And like a cricket team on the field, once they've got their confidence, they go on to play even better.

They surely took a chance by inculcating players as young as Zahir Khan and Yuvraj Singh earlier in the ICC knock-out tournament. Both those guys delivered handsomely, and, as I'd written back then, it seemed like the tide had turned for Indian cricket. Immensely talented youngsters like Sodhi, Das and Kaif waited in the wings, born in a generation which had inculcated all the lessons of modern-day cricket, which fielded magnificently, actually thought on the field, and was born with the basics of modern International cricket (like running between wickets, playing the ball with soft hands, circulating the strike, bowling full at the death), instead of having to learn them after entering the Indian arena. As they'd proved time and time again at the age-group and India A levels, they also had the temperament to go with it.

All of which sounds okay, but would the selectors give these guys a fair deal? Surprisingly, this bunch of selectors (and the captain, who must be given his due credit here) seems to be thinking more of the future of Indian cricket than their personal zonal affiliations. They brought in Das and Sharandeep in the Tests against Zimbabwe, gave Dahiya another chance, and they've all stood up and delivered. And now, the icing on this magnificent cake (which is so good, a bunny might emerge from it at any moment!): the selection of the One-Day squad for the series against Zimbabwe.

One feels sorry for Robin Singh… he has been a doughty warrior for India in the last few years, but he has been getting slower and his bowling is no longer what it used to be. It's better for him to go out this way, head held high and remembered with respect, than have to be ejected when his form abandons him completely. And even he, who loves Indian cricket if anyone does, would surely understand somewhere that his role in this is over, and the new generation must take over.

Picking Sodhi in the team is a long overdue step, and very very welcome. In my column written during the Sharjah series, I got it right when I spoke of S S Das's potential as an Indian Test opener, so let me be bold and hazard another prediction here; this man will captain India one day, and will be to the next generation of Indian players what Steve Waugh is to this generation of Australians. I say this not from hearsay, but what I've seen of him in domestic cricket, and especially the Under-19 World Cup of last year where, despite Kaif being the captain, Sodhi was undoubtedly the spirit behind the team, the rallying force on the field, a thinking cricketer who is also a great motivator of his colleagues, and leads from the front in both batting and bowling. Can't wait to see him play for India!

The selection of Das has raised a few protests among typically passionate Indian fans; mainly to the tune of, he's not a great strokeplayer, why bring an opener into the middle-order etc etc. But look at his batting style: Compact, technically very correct, always looking for singles to circulate the strike, very savvy to One-Day cricket methods of scoring like playing with soft hands and running, a good runner between the wickets, and also, though he batted with relative restraint in the recent Test matches, with a good array of strokes at his disposal. (again, I say this not from hearsay, but having watched him play for years, including in last years Wills Trophy.) Even if he does not open, he would be an ideal accumulator of runs at No 4 or No 5, and this is a great time to groom him, because a batsman like him, who plays very well on the back-foot as well as the front-foot, can serve India very well outside the country as well, which is where the proof of the pudding really lies.

Chopra's selection is also commendable. He may not flight the ball as seductively as Harbhajan, but his flat, intelligent bowling is ideal for one-dayers, and he's certainly an asset on the field, and no mean mug with the bat either. With Left-handers like Andy Flower and Alistair Campbell in such ominous form, this would be the ideal platform for him to prove a point or two, and hey, now that he has been acquitted of the match-fixing charges, let's not even mention that in the context of this very talented player.

The only befuddling thing about this team: Why Srinath opted out of playing? There hasn't been an overdose of cricket lately, on the scale that compelled him to give one-dayers a skip, and considering that with the tour to Pakistan cancelled, there's a big gap between this and the Australian tour, and there would be no harm done if he played these matches. Whatever.

My team for the one-dayers, therefore, would be:
1] Tendulkar
2] Ganguly
3] Dravid
4] Yuvraj
5] Das (or Badani)
6] Sodhi
7] Dahiya
8] Agarkar
9] Chopra
10] Zaheer
11] Prasad
12] Joshi

Obviously, Chopra and Joshi would be a close decision to make, and if India chooses to play two spinners (since Sodhi is a pretty good medium-pacer), Prasad may find himself sitting out. Yuvraj, Das and Sodhi are interchangeable in the order. If a couple of early wickets fall, Das might go at 4 to stabilize against the new ball etc. And Badani does deserve another chance, so he might just be preferred to Das, though I'd opt for the latter.

Also, one slightly out-of-the-box thought here. In case - and we really shouldn't take anything for granted - in case we win the first three one-dayers, and thus the series, then the team selected for the final two one-dayers should be an experiment with youth. Rest all the senior guys, including the big three, make Sodhi the captain, bring on Kaif to bolster the middle order with Yuvraj, Sodhi and Badani while Das and Sriram open, and bring back Kumaran, Nehra and Mohanty to share the bowling with Zaheer. Wishful thinking, perhaps, but if it happens, you might just see ... magic!!

Or should we save it for the 2008 World Cup?!!

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