Indian Test team selection
The selectors announced the team for the first Test and there were a few pleasant suprises.
+ Ganguly dropped - I had expected that after Yuvraj's injury they would stick with the the experience of the former captain than bring in the new kids on the block i.e Raina and Kaif. It shows that the Indian team is looking for long term prospects and selection is performance based.
Now people would argue that Ganguly deserves a proper farewell as he has done a lot for Indian cricket in general. Even though I was vociferous supporter of the SG till the Pakistan series last year, I think most of his problems are due to his own reluctance to acknowledge his decline as a batsmen. Many a player were sacrificed for him to keep his middle-order slot and now the time has come for him to go.
+ Gambhir's expulsion - I reckon that he will be a solid bat for India in the next few years. But there is no denying Wasim Jaffer his place in the line-up after strong domestic performances last few seasons. Also, since the Tests are being held in India it will not to be too difficult to recall him into the squad if needed.
+ Raina's inclusion - From the various reports circulating on the web, it looks like Raina has been marked as a batsman for the future by the coach. Would be interesting to see whether he pips Kaif for the final middle-order slot.
+ VRV and Chawla - Both are exciting propsects. VRV for his raw pace would be a bonus to the Indian side who are in the search of a pace spearhead. I still can't figure out how Piyush Chawla bowls that googly(almost the same action as his stock delivery) - it is simply amazing and he showed a lot of control for a legspinner in the Challenger's and the U-19 WC. And he can bat too.
+Sreesanth - Deserved a spot in the team with his impressive performance across the border. He has a nice action and run-up, swings the ball late and can touch 140kmph regularly - surely one to watch out for.
+ Zaheer and Agarkar dropped - I think this was after their no-show in the final ODI in Karachi where they could not get breakthroughs with the new ball. Ajit off late has become more of a stock bowler than the strike bowler he was when he burst on to the scene. Zaheer needs to bowl much better to go up the pecking order amongst the seamers.
All in all, a positive outlook to an important Test series where the selectors traditionally stuck with a defensive mindset of selecting the same players.
+ Ganguly dropped - I had expected that after Yuvraj's injury they would stick with the the experience of the former captain than bring in the new kids on the block i.e Raina and Kaif. It shows that the Indian team is looking for long term prospects and selection is performance based.
Now people would argue that Ganguly deserves a proper farewell as he has done a lot for Indian cricket in general. Even though I was vociferous supporter of the SG till the Pakistan series last year, I think most of his problems are due to his own reluctance to acknowledge his decline as a batsmen. Many a player were sacrificed for him to keep his middle-order slot and now the time has come for him to go.
+ Gambhir's expulsion - I reckon that he will be a solid bat for India in the next few years. But there is no denying Wasim Jaffer his place in the line-up after strong domestic performances last few seasons. Also, since the Tests are being held in India it will not to be too difficult to recall him into the squad if needed.
+ Raina's inclusion - From the various reports circulating on the web, it looks like Raina has been marked as a batsman for the future by the coach. Would be interesting to see whether he pips Kaif for the final middle-order slot.
+ VRV and Chawla - Both are exciting propsects. VRV for his raw pace would be a bonus to the Indian side who are in the search of a pace spearhead. I still can't figure out how Piyush Chawla bowls that googly(almost the same action as his stock delivery) - it is simply amazing and he showed a lot of control for a legspinner in the Challenger's and the U-19 WC. And he can bat too.
+Sreesanth - Deserved a spot in the team with his impressive performance across the border. He has a nice action and run-up, swings the ball late and can touch 140kmph regularly - surely one to watch out for.
+ Zaheer and Agarkar dropped - I think this was after their no-show in the final ODI in Karachi where they could not get breakthroughs with the new ball. Ajit off late has become more of a stock bowler than the strike bowler he was when he burst on to the scene. Zaheer needs to bowl much better to go up the pecking order amongst the seamers.
All in all, a positive outlook to an important Test series where the selectors traditionally stuck with a defensive mindset of selecting the same players.
posted by Manish Amde at 1:41 AM
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