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Bouquets for Kambli comeback,
brickbats for Azhar ouster

"It looks like Azharuddin has played his last innings in international cricket," said a very senior official of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, reacting to the news that former captain Mohammad Azharuddin finds no place in the national team for the forthcoming Independence Cup ODI quadrangular tournament.

The official, whose hesitation to go on record stems from the position he occupies, said, "There are a host of young, talented players vying for the middle order berths, and Azhar, now that he is out of the side, will find it very difficult to force his way back in."

"In that sense," said the official, "Azhar is in the position Sidhu was in earlier. The Punjab opener could come back after walking out of the Indian tour only because all other opening batsmen who were tried out had been found not up to standard. Similarly, the only hope for Azhar now is if the batsmen vying for middle order slots fail to come good at the highest level - but it must be remembered that there are many more contenders for the one middle order berth, than there were for the two opener's slot, so Azhar may not find it as easy as Sidhu did to force his way back in."

Former Test cricketers meanwhile were almost unanimous in condemning the decision to drop Azhar from the Indian side. Former skipper Ghulam Ramchand said that it was wrong to drop Azhar because of his bad form in the West Indies. "It must be remembered that the Independence Cup is played on Indian wickets - which are very well suited to Azhar's style of play. besides, Azhar's record in one dayers played at home is enviable."

Echoing similar sentiments, former Test star Dilip Sardesai added: "None of the other three sides in the competition have express fast bowlers. This was an ideal opportunity for Azhar to reverse the trend of failures, and to bat himself back into form."

Mohinder Amarnath - a man whose neck has felt the selectorial axe more often than any two other Indian players - said that "Not picking Azhar for this tournament is a mistake. The selectors should keep in mind the saying, 'Horses for courses'. These are Indian wickets, and Azhar should have been a certainty for this tournament."

All three added, besides, that Azhar's fielding ability would have played a crucial part in the one day competiton.

Former chairman of the national selectors Chandu Borde was among the first to hail the recall of Vinod Kambli. "He is a good addition to the team, and will strengthen the middle order," Borde said, adding, "However, I must emphasise that sacking Azharuddin at this point in time was a major mistake. Not only is he a match winner on Indian wickets, but his omission will weaken the Indian fielding to a considerable extent."

Former Test spinner and presently a television commentator Maninder Singh argued on similar lines, pointing out that Azhar has never really failed in ODIs played on Indian pitches. Like most international players, Azhar too has had his ups and downs - but I don't think there was ever a stage, including now, when he deserved to be thrown out of the side."

Former star Bhagwat Chandrasekhar was one of the very few who took a more positive view of Azhar's omission. "He has been playing cricket for 13 years, non-stop. A rest will be good for him," said the ace bowler. "However, it must be added that despite the enormous amount of cricket Azhar has played, he still remains the fittest member of the side."

In his own native state of Hyderabad, Azhar's omission was greeted with mixed reactions. Both former selector M L Jaisimha and former India skipper Ghulam Ahmed said that Azhar's omission was expected. "Where there is no coordination between mind and body, the results are bound to be dismal. There has been a clear decline in Azhar's batting, for a variety of reasons," said Jaisimha, adding that he thought Azhar should not have been given another chance by including him in the I-Cup lineup.

"The way Azhar batted in the Caribbean, he looked like a novice," said Ahmed, adding in an emotion-choked voice, "But don't write off Azhar yet, he will come back, better than before!"

Brijesh Patel, head of the Karnataka state selection committee, however felt that Azhar should have been in the lineup on the "horses for courses" policy. "He is a very good player on Indian wickets and once he gets going, it is impossible to contain him. Besides, he is a brilliant fielder, and that would have been invaluable for the side," Patel argued.

Former Test star E A S Prasanna, meanwhile, said that in his view, the selectors had gone purely by merit in axing Azhar. "Azhar has not done well with the bat in recent times," argued the famed offspinner of yesteryear. "Though he is a brilliant fielder, he has lately been standing mostly in the slips, and that can be done by someone else. He is no longer young, and it is likely that he does not any longer fit in with the selectors' plans of building a team for the future."

Meanwhile, Vinod Kambli returns to the side determined to erase his bad-boy image. "This thing that I have a behavioural problem has been like a rock around my neck. I have worked on my attitude, and in the coming days I hope to prove this to the public," Kambli said when informed that he had been picked for the national side.

"When I was dropped from the Indian side, for various reasons, after Canada, my first priority was to work on my attitude, and to do well enough in the national championship to get back into the national side. So I really concentrated in the Super League, assisting Bombay to regain the Ranji Trophy, and hoped that my performances would help me win my place back again."

Asked what he felt was his immediate goal, Kambli said, "Simply to perform consistently in this coming tournament, and ensure that I retain the place I have earned."

Asked how it felt to know that he had won his place at the expense of Mohammad Azharuddin, Kambli however refused to be drawn into a direct comment. "I would like to think my form won a place for me, and that it is not at the expense of someone else."