Parthiv,Piyush eye wild card entries

For Chawla,who with 17 wickets was the most successful spinner in the IPL last year,this was precisely the boost he was looking for. “As far as IPL is concerned,every player wants to succeed. We have a platform and ample time,so we can just hope to do well,” said Chawla,who was part of India’s maiden World T20 title in South Africa.

Of late,Chawla has been in good form,bagging 12 wickets from six matches in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. If the selection snub came as a disappointment,he seems to have put it behind. “Sometimes,it’s better to just keep doing your work and not think too much,” he added.

Another cricketer who heads to South Africa,hoping to sneak into the squad for England,is Chennai Super Kings stumper-batsman Parthiv Patel. “I think the IPL came at the right time for me. Of course,I was disappointed not to see my name in the probables list but,right now,the IPL can change things around,” said Patel.

Despite having a wicket-keeper,Mahendra Singh Dhoni,as captain at the Super Kings,Parthiv played in the XI last year. He scored 302 runs in 13 matches and took six catches behind the stumps. “Being picked and dropped is nothing new for me. Whenever I go out to play,I want to prove myself and am sure if the IPL goes well,things could turn around,” added Patel.

The duo also have Virender Sehwag’s precedent to take heart from. The Delhi batsman wasn’t in the list of probables for the Australia tour of 2007-08,but made the grade in the 16-man squad that flew to Down Under.