Five considerations for the ODI team

The selectors will meet this afternoon to select the ODI team for the Sri Lanka series and the Champions Trophy. I think that as with the Test side, there is a fairly settled look to the ODI side as well. So for me, the following are the only things the selectors need to think about, from the most obvious to the most tricky.



1. The obvious changes



The obvious changes will be necessitated by the returns of Sachin Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan. Yusuf Pathan would need to make way for the former, since he has done little to translate his T20 success into the 50-over format. And Manpreet Gony would obviously need to make way for the latter, again being the person with the least credentials of the seamers in the pack. Little question in my mind about either of these selections.



2. The Irfan question



I was shocked to read both on cricinfo and in the Indian newspapers that Irfan might be axed for the ODIs. I think his omission from the Tests is startling enough, especially since his replacement, Munaf Patel, has done absolutely nothing to merit selection. But to omit him from the one-dayers is even worse.



Purely on potential, Irfan provides the sort of balance to the side that no-one else in India does. He is, quite simply, the one genuine all-rounder in Indian cricket, someone from whom 10 overs can be expected, and who can confidently be sent in to bat at 7. The likes of Praveen Kumar and Piyush Chawla are really not no. 7 batsmen, so Irfan allows one the luxury of playing 5 frontline bowlers without skimping on the batting too much. But more than that, with the exception of 3 bad games in the Asia Cup, his bowling has been stellar all year. He was brilliant in the IPL, bowling far better than Zak, PK, Ishant or R.P., and consistently hitting the 140s. And let us not forget (since Indian selectorial memories are notoriously short) that it was he who turned in the Man-of-the-Match performance in our historic win at Perth. For him to basically be written off on the basis of three bad games is extremely unfair, especially when one considers the obsession with the likes of Harbhajan Singh, who has been retained in spite of consistent mediocrity. (His recent Test performance is an exception, but Bhajji always has a knack of doing just enough when the axe is hovering over his head). Irfan was treated badly during the Chappell era, and for some reason it looks like the double standards with respect to him are being persisted with. But he would absolutely be a certainty in my side. Apparently Dhoni supports him strongly,so hopefully he can insist on his inclusion.



3. Spin choices



As just mentioned, Bhajji has indeed done enough to hold on to his spot as the lead spinner, and anyway his credentials in ODIs are much stronger than in Tests. The question concerns his partner, and I would without a doubt pick Piyush Chawla ahead of Pragyan Ojha. It is not entirely clear to me what Ojha has done to merit inclusion, other than being a left-arm spinner from selector Venkatapathy Raju's home state. There is no question he is a good bowler, but really he is not yet in the same league as Murali Kartik -- if a left-arm spinner had to be selected, Kartik should have been the obvious choice. PC, on the other hand, looks the real deal. He has great potential, and even more than that, I am impressed by his temperament. He is as yet a little raw for Tests, but certainly looks like the man most likely to take over Anil Kumble's place when the latter retires. His useful lower-order batting is also an asset, so he is an automatic selection in my book. I personally wouldn't include Ojha.



4.Batting youngsters



The bulk of the batting is settled, in the form of Sehwag, Tendulkar, Gambhir, Dhoni and Yuvraj. Gambhir will have to drop to 3 to accommodate Sachin's return, but that's not a bad thing because Gambhir is a far better player of spin, so having him play a little later in the innings will be useful. Amongst the youngsters, Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma have done enough to be retained, though on form in Pakistan it is Raina who would pip Rohit into the playing 11.



I do, however, think that Robin Uthappa must make way for Subramaniam Badrinath in the touring party for both series. I have been on a Badri kick for a while, and will continue to be for the foreseeable future. Technically, he is an infinitely superior batsman to Uthappa, and I think is good enough to be part of our immediate Test plans -- I don't think Uthappa can ever cut it as a Test batsman. Really, Uthappa has done very little over the past two years to justify his continued inclusion. There was the blazing 80-odd on debut,and then his match-winning 47 at no. 7 in England last year. But other than that, the best he has had to offer are bits-and-pieces 20s and 30s. He doesn't really look technically sound enough to bat up the order, which means that he can really only be imagined as a finisher. He is, basically, the Ajay Jadeja for the new millennium, and while there is utility in such players, there is no justification in them keeping out players of true calibre like Badri. In addition to all his achievements so far, Badri has now also impressed in the Emerging Players tournament in Australia. Anyone who can score heavily in Australia surely now finally deserves his break in the Indian team. He is 26, and if he isn't given his chance now, we risk losing a fine talent, one of the few people who can really fill the gaps left in the Test middle order once the Big 4 retire. And of course, he remains someone who could be a key player in our plans for the 2011 World Cup, capable of playing the pivotal middle-order role than Rahul Dravid played with such distinction over the past few years.



5. Leadership?



Dhoni, of course, should be back from his rest to lead the side, but I would suggest that Yuvraj be replaced by Sehwag as vice-captain. There is no question that Viru is the better cricketing brain of the two, and only his exclusion from the team on form prevented him from naturally succeeding Dravid as India captain. He is also sure of his place in both forms of the game, whereas Yuvi looks increasingly doubtful even as a reserve option for Tests. Yuvi has also had a pretty ordinary 2008 even in the formats he is comfortable in, ODIs and T20s. His immense ability still makes him an automatic selection in ODIs in my mind -- but the likes of Rohit and Badri will put pressure on him to perform at a higher level than he has done in the past few months if he wants to remain sure of his spot. Hence, it is time, in my mind, that Viru formally regained his place as part of the leadership team.



My team for Sri Lanka ODIs:



1. Virendra Sehwag (V)

2. Sachin Tendulkar

3. Gautam Gambhir

4. Mahendra Dhoni (C) (W)

5. Yuvraj Singh

6. Suresh Raina

7. Irfan Pathan

8. Piyush Chawla

9. Harbhajan Singh

10. Zaheer Khan

11. Ishant Sharma



Reserves:



12. Rohit Sharma

13. Subramaniam Badrinath

14. R.P. Singh

15. Praveen Kumar



(For the Champions Trophy: only teams of 14 allowed, so the same team, minus Praveen Kumar).