Indian Premier League and Cricket News by IPL Cricket Forum

India’s first ever paid selection committee gears up for its first and very crucial assignment which in many ways is going to define how the Indian team will look in the next couple of years. The committee is headed by the darling of most hearts – Krishnamachari Srikkanth and has first on its job list to pick the team for the test series against Australia.

The last committee had taken some firm decisions. This is an entirely new panel and they may spring in some surprises. But lets try to figure out the best possible combination for the series.

Team

Number 1

Even though Wasim Jaffer and Aakash Chopra showed glimpses of form in the ongoing Irani Cup match but Gautam Gambhir came up with a stellar knock in the second innings which has seen his position shift from the front-runner to that of certainty. He had a good test series in Sri Lanka averaging over fifty while most senior players struggled to score runs. He makes it to the opening spot and being the junior partner, in all likeliness will take strike when India bat.

Number 2

The mere presence of these two words – “Virender Sehwag”, on the team list sets a cat amongst the pigeons. He might not score as often as one would like but when he does, he makes it count big time. He had a double ton in the test series in Sri Lanka where he made Murali and Mendis look ordinary. He might have failed to score big in Irani Cup but form hardly counts for players who have poor memory for failures.

Number 3

Selectors might want to look towards future but Rahul “The Wall” Dravid has the spot his own at least for the next three grueling series against Australia, England and Pakistan. He still could have a big role to play in the 50 over format as well and there is a ray of hope as the selection panel gets renewed. People might not admit but the team in blue has missed a player like him when they collapsed in some matches in Australia, Asia Cup and Sri Lanka.

Number 4

Sachin Tendulkar has been declared fit for the series and will be joining the squad in his favorite two-down position. He failed miserably in Sri Lanka but he has a special liking for Australia and had amassed almost 500 runs in the series down-under earlier this year. He would want to make his own, what might be his last test series against Australia in India.

Number 5

Exclusion of Sourav Ganguly will see VVS Laxman come in a number higher in the batting order. He had a decent series in Sri Lanka and has been in an over all good form in test matches over last couple of years. His form has been one of the reasons which have led Yuvraj Singh out of the reckoning for the test side.

Number 6

The name that gets this spot for the series will define how the new selection panel wants the team to shape up for the future. With a good domestic season behind him and his superb athletic capabilities, Mohammad Kaif looks the most likely to grab this spot. A good performance for Board President’s XI against the Aussies could see Yuvraj Singh grab this spot. The selectors might as well look for an all-rounder for this spot, which may land in favor of Irfan Pathan. However, the team is unlikely to risk omitting a specialist batsman and give the spot to an all-rounder or a bowler. The new panel may even call up Sourav Ganguly, which will then see him come in at five and Laxman at six. Rohit Sharma still doesn’t seem to be ready to take the big stage in the longer format.

Number 7

Forget even mentioning the statistics, this spot is sealed and done for our ODI and Twenty20 skipper MS Dhoni. He played a superb knock in the second innings of the Irani Cup match and showed how he could make it count if some of the lower order batsmen stuck around. Apart from his batting, he has surprised one and all by the improvement in his wicket-keeping. He is splendid with the webbed gloves as well and is certainly amongst the top wicket-keepers in the world right now.

Number 8

The “Ultimate Warrior” of Indian cricket, Captain dignified, spinning maestro Anil Kumble comes in at number eight in the batting order but the load of expectations will be higher when he will tweak his fingers. He has an important role in the batting order as well. Coming in just after the fall of the last recognized batting pair, he will be required to lend support to his partner and stretch the score and mount opponent’s frustrations. He took 27 wickets when Aussies last toured India. He troubled Aussies in their den big time grabbing 20 wickets in the four match series earlier this year and would want to add another feather to his cap by leading his team and regaining the Border-Gavaskar trophy.

Number 9

Turbanator Harbhajan Singh, the nemesis of Australian skipper Ricky Ponting comes in at this spot. In the absence of Kumble, he was the chief destroyer in the series against the Aussies in 2001 where he took 32 wickets in the three match series. The importance of the feat can be illustrated by the fact that Zaheer Khan was the second most successful bowler for India with three wickets in the series. He grabbed 21 wickets in the 2004 series as well and would be looking to prove that he is ready to take over the mantle of “India’s Spinning Spearhead” when Captain Kumble hangs up his boots.

Number 10

Zaheer Khan has risen as India’s premier pace bowler in the last year or so. Barring some injury niggles; he has been a regular and has performed consistently. When he has not taken wickets he has helped the bowler at other end by bowling a tight line and length and building up pressure. He bowled with a big heart and tremendous composure in the Irani Cup match and showed how a pacer can be effective on dead and docile tracks.

Number 11

His spells to Ricky Ponting down under were what brought this tall, lanky fast bowler into limelight and since then Ishant Sharma has been a regular name on the team list, his fitness permitting. The control and incisiveness he demonstrated in the Irani Cup match must have sent a few shivers down the Aussie spines. His form ensures that India have a supremely potent bowling attack, well capable of toppling the Aussie batting line-up twice in five days.

Number 12

One more spinner will be taking a spot in the 14 man squad and Piyush Chawla’s continued lack of control over the deliveries means that Pragyan Ojha will retain his place. The new selectors may want to give Amit Mishra a chance, but they might choose to not take a risk in an important and tough series like this.

Number 13

Munaf Patel in the last few weeks seems to have marched ahead of RP Singh, Sreesanth and Irfan Pathan for a spot in the team. He bowled with control in the Indian Premier League and has been quite good in the One Day tournaments after that. He looked a different person in the Irani Cup match, diving around in the field, bowling with fire and clocking speeds of over 140 KPH.

Number 14

If Sourav Ganguly is picked in the 14 man squad, he will in all probabilities feature in the final 11. One of Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif or Rohit Sharma is likely to be in the final eleven and one other will occupy this spot.

 

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