Indian team for England Tests

There is much to write about the India-Australia series, and its delightful ending. But right now, I want to look ahead to the Tests against England. The one-day series is so far going along on a bright note. But it is the two Test series that is of real importance and excitement as far as I am concerned.

At this point, much of the team selects itself. Gambhir and Sehwag form one of the more formidable opening combinations in world cricket. Tendulkar and Laxman form the heart of the middle order, and have quelled any immediate talk of them following Ganguly and Kumble into the sunset. Dhoni seems to have the magic touch as captain, but more importantly finally started looking the part of a Test batsman against the Aussies. And the bowling looks very settled, with Zaheer and Ishant as the spearheads. Harbhajan Singh has come back from years of mediocrity to be the highest wicket-taker in Tests this year in the world; and Amit Mishra looks ready to fill Kumble’s boots for the long haul. (Given England’s weakness against big-turning leg-spin, I am especially looking forward to see Mishra bowl to them. The battle between Mishra and Pietersen, and Mishra and Flintoff, should be particularly gripping).

So that really leaves only three considerations. The first and obvious one concerns the replacement for Ganguly. The second is more tricky and troubling, and concerns what to do with the one enduring worry that persists after Australia, which is the form of Dravid. And the third concerns bench strength, since part of the process of rebuilding should involve having some kind of a clear succession plan in place.

The Ganguly succession is actually tricky, because I think there are three candidates vying to fill his boots at no. 6. The one “in possession”, as it were, is Badrinath, since he was selected in the 15 against Australia. Anyone who has spent any time on these pages knows that I am possibly Badri’s biggest fan in the country, and for him to be leapfrogged over yet again would be heart-wrenching for him. Yet, I don’t think that his selection is as straightforward as we would like. He hasn’t had too many chances, but the few chances he did get in the one-day games in Sri Lanka were not chances that he made the most of. So in terms of overall record over the past three years, he must surely be frontrunner. But in terms of current form, there are question marks.

The second is Yuvraj. The Yuvraj-for-Tests question is one of the perennial questions in Indian cricket, and it has reared its head again in light of his brilliance in the one-day series. Yuvi’s case is diametrically opposite to Badri’s. In this case, we are dealing with someone who doesn’t have the record or consistency, but who is in blazing form. Whether Yuvi is the long-term replacement for Ganguly remains an open question – even in one-days, he has oscillated between Viv Richards-like brilliance and utter mediocrity in the span of months. But the selectors should first be asking whether Yuvi is the best man to bat at 6 against England, and there the answer, on form, seems more compelling. This is especially because Yuvi, almost more than anyone else in Indian cricket except Bhajji, is a belief cricketer. When he is on a roll, he is unstoppable, and it is often in our interests to play him when he is on a roll. Add to that the fact that England is his favorite opponent, and that the First Test will be played in Ahmedabad, where he has pleasant memories of mauling Muthiah Muralitharan, and the case becomes even stronger.

And then there is Rohit Sharma. If Yuvraj is the form horse, while Badri has shown consistency over time, then Rohit is sheer pedigree. More or less since the moment he has arrived on the scene, he has been talked of as an inevitable part of the next-generation middle order. We know that he has what it takes to cut it at the international level, which is something Badri has yet to prove; and he certainly has better technique than Yuvraj. His problem, up till now, has been an inability to build an innings. Even in one-days, his tendency has been towards pretty 50s that promise much more, and his first full Ranji season for Bombay last year was a disaster. Hence, I have been of the feeling that Rohit should be blooded in the domestic circuit for longer, so that he gets into the habit of playing 4-day cricket and actually turning those 50s into 100s.

What brings him into the reckoning for me now is that he has started doing that this season. He started it with a 100 for India A against the Aussies; and then made a scintillating 100 in a single session against Rajasthan. Rajasthan is hardly top-notch opposition. But that innings showed that he has now started developing the ability to go on and make three figure knocks; it also showed that, while technically more correct, he has the ability to be as devastating as Yuvraj when the mood possesses him. Regardless of whether he gets into the side straight away, I think his time will come sooner rather than later.

At the end of the day, the choice between these three has to boil down to gut feeling. I would give Yuvraj another chance in the playing 11 – especially now that he knows that a strong performance can make that no. 6 spot his for the long haul, he might have the confidence to really buckle down and make this chance count. But who sits on the bench, for me, is a toss-up between Rohit and Badri.

I personally would go with Rohit, and that is for the following reason. I think that, barring injury, neither of them is going to get a chance in the two-Test series – Yuvraj is deserving of at least two Tests to prove himself, so even if he comes a cropper in Ahmedabad, I would retain him in Mumbai. So, really, the selection is largely symbolic. Rohit, if selected, will get the acknowledgment that he needs that his form is being noticed. Badri, on the other hand, can use this opportunity to get some runs for Tamilnadu and some form under his belt, in order to lay claim to a spot for the Pakistan tour.

One thing is crucial in all this. One of Srikkanth’s wonderful early gestures as selector was when Rohit was dropped from the Test side for the Aussie series, after which he personally went to the lad’s hotel room and had a chat with him. The next day, Rohit made his 100 against Australia. I think the key for Badri is not whether he is selected or dropped – he knows there is stiff competition for that spot, and in many ways, it will be better for him to be in the middle making runs in Ranji than carrying the drinks for yet another Test series. Rather, the key for him is that the selectors explain to him why he has been dropped, what he needs to do, and most importantly, keep him in the picture. This is what Vengsarkar and generations of earlier selectors have failed to do; but it looks like Cheeka is made of classier stuff. Being dropped will be a disappointment; but as long as Badri is taken into confidence, it will help him retain his confidence.

If dropping Badri is hard for me, dropping Dravid is even harder. But I think we must do so. Dravid has now gone two years without contributing significantly, and an average of 30 over two years for a number 3 is a serious worry. What really worries me is I don’t think this is a loss of form – the timing still looks as good as ever. Rather, it is that famed mental strength that is deserting him, as he finds new and ever more ingenious ways of getting out. By the end of the Australia series, this was even affecting his normally infallible slip catching. I really hope that doesn’t mean the end of the road for Dravid – that he gets back to the domestic game, makes runs, and makes one final attempt at a comeback, in the manner of Ganguly. But I don’t think we can afford to let sentiment override what is best for the team, and I sadly feel that at this point Dravid and the team would benefit if he had some time out of the limelight.

This is especially because Murali Vijay looks like such a good prospect to take his place at 3. I was proved wrong in my dismissal of him, and I am quite happy to have been so. He looks like a fine prospect, with good technique and temperament. And his fielding, both close in and in the circle, made a telling difference in Nagpur. So he definitely deserves to be persisted with – another feather in the cap for Srikkanth and co.

All this leaves is the question of a back-up spinner, since I think Munaf Patel is the obvious choice for back-up seamer. I personally have still seen little in Pragyan Ojha to be impressed by him. Young Piyush Chawla is certainly one for the long haul; but I would actually go back to Murali Kartik, who is fit, has bowled well in England through the summer and started the season strongly for Railways; who has been treated badly for far too much of his career; who is good enough to give both Bhajji and Mishra a run for their money in the 11; and who I think is a far, far better left-arm spinner than Ojha.

So, my team for the Tests:

Gautam Gambhir
Virendra Sehwag (V)
Murali Vijay
Sachin Tendulkar
V.V.S. Laxman
Yuvraj Singh
Mahendra Dhoni © (W)
Harbhajan Singh
Zaheer Khan
Amit Mishra
Ishant Sharma

Rohit Sharma
Munaf Patel
Murali Kartik