A step forward, a step back and a step into the unknown

With the stars opting to skip the Dhaka tri-series, the national selectors had an opportunity to showcase India’s bench strength after ...

int(2)

With the stars opting to skip the Dhaka tri-series, the national selectors had an opportunity to showcase India’s bench strength after the heroics by the big boys in South Africa. However, in their quest to shape India’s future, the five wise men took a step forward, a step back and a step into the unknown. The pluses were the inclusion of opener Gautam Gambhir, leg-spinner Amit Mishra and pacer Aavishkar Salvi. And 27-year-old middle-order batsman Abhijit Kale’s surprise inclusion should be seen in positive light.

Though not a long-term prospect, he’s paid his dues on the domestic circuit and deserves a break at the game’s highest level. After various India ‘A’ tours, becoming a regular on the Board President’s XI teams and scoring consistently for a decade on the domestic circuit, it’s now or never for the Maharashtra man. In recalling off-spinner Sarandeep Singh, though, the selectors have taken a step back. The 24-year-old Delhi spinner, who last played a forgettable series against England, was not first-choice spinner for the India ‘A’ tour of the West Indies.

His Ranji record, too, is nothing to write home about. With 19 wickets to his credit he is the sixth-ranked spinner on the Ranji Elite group list of wicket-takers. If they wanted experience, the selectors might as well have opted for 39-year-old Utpal Chatterjee who has claimed 33 wickets!

Story continues below this ad

Or why not Mumbai all-rounder Rajesh Powar who has claimed 16 wickets and averages 48 with the bat.

And, given that the team already has Harbhajan, the selectors could have opted for Railways left-arm spinner Murali Kartik, for whom this will be another agonising sit-out. Despite heading the wickets tally in the current Ranji Trophy and a fine showing in the West Indies, Kartik has been passed over yet again and it’s a moot point whether Ganguly’s well-known dislike of left-arm spinners came in the way.

Kartik, though, didn’t do himself any favours by his euphoric, pointed celebration after dismissing Ganguly in a Ranji game at Delhi two seasons back. The skipper is not one for forgetting such things.

Of less immediate significance, but no less intriguing, is the naming of Virender Sehwag as vice-captain. It is, of course, a temporary appointment — not to mention a largely ornamental post — but this could have been the ideal occasion to groom Mohammed Kaif, recently spoken of by none other than Ganguly himself as a future skipper.

Story continues below this ad

Kaif has captained one world-cup winning team — the India Under-19s — and was deputy in another, the Under-15s, while Sehwag is yet to captain his Ranji side. To be fair to the latter, his bravado while batting is replaced by some cunning and circumspection when he bowls — and there’s always the Ricky Ponting case study.

The selectors’ argument is that seniority came into play, and that Sehwag was a Test regular too, but it would be interesting if Ganguly were to miss a match in the tournament.

What will the final XI be like? Since Sanjay Bangar and Ajit Agarkar happen to be the only all-rounders in the side, and the think-tank has already made known its lack of confidence in them, it’s likely the seven-batsmen formula will be persisted with.

It remains to be seen which of these new faces gets a game at Dhaka. Maybe it could be turn out that their only international experience could be playing against Bangladesh.