The Fall Guys

There is one piece of the Team India jigsaw that doesn’t quite belong, yet cannot be dispensed with. It’s the national selection c...

There is one piece of the Team India jigsaw that doesn’t quite belong, yet cannot be dispensed with. It’s the national selection committee, usually (and not always unfairly) seen as a group of has-beens promoting specific vested interests rather than seeing the good of the team.

Yet, to give the devil its due, the selectors — Brijesh Patel, Syed Kirmani, Kiran More, Kirti Azad, Sanjay Jagdale and Pranab Roy — have sorted out some of Indian cricket’s long-standing problems. Their decisions initially fly in the face of conventional wisdom and so attract heavy criticism — but in the long run they’ve been backed by on-field exploits

Here’s a look at the hits, and the few misses

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Kumble’s old, Kartik’s better
Kartik had impressed everybody during the home tri-series against Australia and New Zealand while Kumble seemed out of sorts. Dropping Kartik for the Aussie tour was seen as a mega selectorial folly but the selectors were proved right: Old was gold.

Chopra’s a sitting duck
When Aakash Chopra, two Tests old, was named as the opener in Australia, it seemed like the Devang Gandhi experience all over again. They called him a sitting duck but things turned out to be different.

Irfan’s no Pathan, he’s a kid
Nine wickets against Bangladesh u-19 mean nothing when bowling to Hayden and Gilchrist. But what the selectors saw was not just that freak spell but three years of consistent form in domestic cricket. Pathan today is Indian cricket’s Most Valuable Player.

Rights and Wrongs on Rohan
Why take him? Followed by, Why sack him? Before the Australian tour Rohan Gavaskar replacing the injured Mohammad Kaif was the most debatable selection — at least the one to prompt the most whispers. A couple of good ‘plays’ had the selectors smiling but, as Kaif regained fitness, Rohan receded into the background. Selection fair and square.

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Ramesh who?
With Harbhajan injured the search was on for a third spinner. Ganguly hinted at Kulamani Parida but the selectors opted for Powar. It wasn’t the action but, as a selector said, ‘‘it was his show in the zonal game which went against him.’’ Parida had wickets for Railways in the Ranji Trophy but in Duleep Trophy games Powar had a better show. And as Powar proved in Pakistan he was ready for international cricket.

Yuvraj or Kaif for Test
This one was close. The selectors opted for Yuvraj and rest is history.

THE GLITCHES
The wicket-keeping is still a problem. The Parthiv Plan isn’t on track while Rahul Dravid still grudgingly wears the gloves in one-dayers. And they’ll never live down dropping Laxman for the World Cup.