No real surprises

But for the welcome inclusion of young Parthiv Patel, there areno real surprises in the Indian squads for the one-day tri-seriesand the Test matches in England

Partab Ramchand10-Jun-2002

But for the welcome inclusion of young Parthiv Patel, there are
no real surprises in the Indian squads for the one-day tri-series
and the Test matches in England. And why should there be? Despite
recent reverses abroad, there is very little scope for making
sweeping changes in the squad that, quite predictably, is
composed of established stars, youngsters who are hopefully are
on their way up and players who despite failures of late deserve
another chance to prove themselves.Indeed, both the Test and one-day squads are quite watertight
these days and it would require an astonishing feat, amazing
consistency or a young player with exceptional talent and ability
to get in. And there is no doubt that Patel is uncommonly gifted.Playing in various age-group competitions, the 17-year-old from
Gujarat exhibited his skill early and as captain of the Indian
under-19 side, he has displayed maturity far beyond his age. An
admirer of Adam Gilchrist, the left-handed Patel is known to pace
his innings with a blend of calculated attack and rock-solid
defence. But he has made it clear that he wants to make his mark
first with his work behind the stumps. “I am a
wicketkeeper/batsman, not a basman/wicketkeeper”he is quoted to
have said and this can only be good news for Indian cricket.There was never really much chance of Javagal Srinath making the
limited overs side once he had announced his retirement from Test
cricket. He missed a number of one-day competitions over the last
few years, preferring to conserve his energies for Test matches.
As the series in the West Indies proved, he is over the hill and
the selectors have done well in turning their backs on him. It is
time now to look to the future, with the focus firmly on next
year’s World Cup and the present quartet of Tinu Yohannan, Ashish
Nehra, Ajit Agarkar and Zaheer Khan look good enough to represent
India even a year from now, provided they make the most of the
opportunities the tour of England will present them.It is not often that India have gone to England with just two
specialist spin bowlers in the Test squad. But in taking only
Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh, the selectors have underscored
the theory that seam, more than spin, will be required in
England. Srinath and Venkatesh Prasad proved this in England in
1996 and in the post-spin-quartet period, bowlers like Kapil Dev,
Roger Binny and Chetan Sharma have both done the bulk of the
bowling as well taken the majority of the wickets though spinners
like Maninder Singh and Dilip Doshi have had their moments.It is a pity that Murali Kartik had to be left out but once
Kumble was declared fit, this was always on the cards. Kartik
should not take his omission to heart and instead must continue
to work hard to get back into the side.The selectors have done well in persisting with Shiv Sundar Das
despite his failures in the West Indies. Too often has this
unfair and short-term policy of hiring and firing dealt an
adverse impact on the team. Das and Wasim Jaffer are still our
best bet for a durable opening pair and it is hoped that the duo
will make the most of their chances and solve Indian cricket’s
long standing problem. As an insurance, the inclusion of Sanjay
Bangar as a reserve opening batsman-cum-utility player is most
welcome.As to the regulars in both the squads, one can only hope that
they live up to their reputation. The youthful tilt in the oneday squad, thanks to the presence of players like Yuvraj Singh,
Mohammad Kaif, Dinesh Mongia and Virender Sehwag, is bound to
give fielding standards a fillip. Sehwag, of course, is also in
the Test squad and about the only iota of doubt is to whether his
airy-fairy, blustery kind of batting can come good in England,
given the fact that Krish Srikkanth was not exactly a success on
the 1986 tour.

Agarkar, another player in both the squads, gets yet another
opportunity to cement his place in the Test side. One sincerely
hopes he grabs this chance with both hands. The slimly built
Mumbai all-rounder is undoubtedly gifted but his performances
have not seen him live up to his potential. This could well be a
make-or-break tour for him.