The India squad for the upcoming tour of Australia was selected yesterday. The team composition is more or less on the 'expected' lines. I was personally disappointed with the omission of the leggie, Rahul Sharma. With whatever I have seen of him in IPL matches, he seems to be a promising spinner for all formats of the game. However, he did not do too well in his last few domestic cricket outings and did not get included in the playing XI for the test matches against WI. On the other hand, Ashwin and Ojha grabbed the opportunity with both hands and bowled really well. That is the main reason why Rahul Sharma got dropped. In any case, too many spinners cannot be included for a tour like Australia.
The inclusion of Ajinkya Rahane in the Test squad is a positive move as he looks an extremely talented batsman, who should somewhat fill the gap once the big guns leave the scene. I would love to see some more young batsmen to be given a chance and tested. AT Rayaudu looks like a good batsman for the longer format of the game and should be given a chance soon. Manish Pandey looks good but had a quiet domestic season last year. Moreover, I think some of the top bosses (who are friends with Vijay Mallya) are not too happy with Pandey. If that is the case, I hope the issue is resolved soon as we may lose a gifted cricketer otherwise. Cheteshwar Pujara is still recovering from the ACL damages in both knees. I read an article on him a month back that suggested that his injuries could be career-threatening. I am not sure if this is correct or not but I really hope and pray that he recovers soon and gets backs to business. However, the batting composition of the squad does not have too many surprises. It is a good line-up. Kohli and Sharma deserve more opportunities and they have been rightly retained.
I am not too excited about Aaron. I think he lacks variety and experience. Moreover, Australian batsmen would have faced such "pure play fast bowlers" regularly in their domestic cricket. Compared to him, Umesh Yadav looks much more promising. I would love if Aaron proves me wrong though. But I also think that he may not get a chance in Australia, especially if Khan dost (Zaheer Khan) proves his fitness. I do not think India will include five bowlers (that is why we seriously miss an all-rounder. I really wish Irrfan Pathan was fit and in-form. Someone should tell him where he can find his swing!!!) and I think the bowling line-up will have 3 seamers and 1 spinner. If that is the case and if Zaheer is fit, it would be Zaks, Sharma and Praveen Kumar who will get included. If the team gets a little adventurous, Umesh Yadav may get a game or two. The chances of Aaron getting a game are remote unless he bowls really really and REALLY well in a build-up game.
The only member of the squad that I am surprised about is Wriddhiman Saha!!! I think Parthiv Patel did reasonably well in England (in ODIs) to get included in the test squad. I personally believe that Patel can be a better Test batsman than ODIs or T-20s. He has a good and steady stance, plays straight, has good timing and has good temperament. I do believe that his batting has been somewhat corrupted by IPL, yet he is a good batsman. And why Saha? I sometimes believe that selectors pick the reserve keeper in a squad only to give equal 'earning' opportunities to keepers. Lets face it, there is no chance of a keeper getting selected in the playing XI of a test match unless Dhoni gets injured or he finally realizes that he is not a great test batsman. (okay, I let my personal feelings flow a little bit over there)!!! So, the second keeper is merely a passenger. I believe that the selectors do not pick the second keeper purely on the basis of performance. Of course they will not suddenly pick the wicket keeper of Nagaland!!! They pick 1-2 good keepers (of course, except Dhoni) and keep rotating them on tours. "So Parthiv, you travelled to England...did sightseeing...had good food....did shopping....earned enough to settle your bills, loans in India....Now, we will give a chance to Saha...let him also have a little fun....let him also earn a little. In any case, he wont get a chance to play so do not worry, he can not cement his place in the team. Even if he gets a chance and does well, we will still pick you for the next tour.....But ya, we have not given a chance to Dinesh Karthik in a while. If he scores in double digits in ANY domestic match, even if it is against Arunachal Pradesh Team A, we will have to consider him. But then, next series...and you will be back!!! Fair, isnt it?"
I guess its too late but I should buy a pair of keeping gloves.
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