For India, left was the right choice

Incidentally, this was the same venue from where he’d been propelled into the national squad four years ago, claiming 13 wickets — including 9-70 — in an Irani Trophy match.

The years in between had been a long, hard, often bitter struggle. Kartik drifted on the fringes of the selectors’ consciousness, not helping his cause with his blunt manner of speaking. He was expected to prove himself in every limited opportunity that he got but they were few and far between.

And when he did get a break, as on the last tour Down Under, other forces seemed to conspire against him. In the Fourth Test at Sydney, where India had Australia on the rack for a long spell, Kartik was particularly unlucky. He twice appeared to have Damien Martyn out in the second innings; the first time Steve Bucknor turned down a close leg-before; the second time, Parthiv missed a stumping. End result: In three Tests under Ganguly, the spiky left-armer has picked up just one wicket.

Under Rahul Dravid, though, it’s a different story. In the last two Tests, with the vice-captain leading the side, Kartik has claimed 12 wickets.

The Mumbai Test was another example of Dravid’s faith, especially in the second innings. ‘‘I knew Kartik would be a handful on this wicket’’, Dravid said today. ‘‘If he hit the deck the ball was always going to spin. Watching Michael Clarke bowl and get the kind of spin he did when he hit the deck gave me a fair idea of what Kartik could achieve, especially when the ball was hard.’’

And Kartik stood up to the challenge, claiming the important wickets of Ricky Ponting, Damien Martyn and Michael Clarke. He bowled a disciplined line, firing it flatter to generate appreciable bounce and turn. For variation, he had the straighter ones. And all at a fastish pace.

‘‘My confidence was boosted when Dravid handed me the ball ahead of Anil Kumble’’, he said. ‘‘I have always been a third spinner but Dravid’s faith in my abilities helped me perform better today.’’

Kartik’s mentor and former Indian captain Bishen Singh Bedi was understandably pleased at the display. ‘‘I’m happy for him but he has to keep improving and establish himself in the team’’, Bedi said.

Kartik has no idea what the future holds but, having been patient thus far, knows it’s his strongest suit. ‘‘I will treasure this moment forever. I hope this showing will help me cement my place in the side.’’

If chairman of selectors Kiran More is to be believed, those days aren’t far off. ‘‘He is a good cricketer and has a lot to deliver at the top level and he is coming up very well.’’