A few surprise omissions and inclusions by Partab Ramchand

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Event:

India in West Indies 2006

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DateLine: 24th May 2006

 

Surprise omissions and inclusions have almost always marked the selection of a touring Indian squad and the 16-member squad announced on Wednesday to play four Tests in the West Indies is no exception. Ajit Agarkar for one can consider himself unlucky. He has perhaps been the best of the bowlers on view in the three ODI’s so far and there can be no substitute for experience. True, his Test record has been patchy and he cannot complain about having received very few opportunities. But at 28 he certainly seems to be coming into his own and perhaps deserved one more chance especially at a time when he is performing commendably.

 

If Agarkar can consider himself unlucky VRV Singh must consider himself fortunate to be part of the Test squad. He has been anything but impressive at both the ODI level and the A level and if at all he still makes the squad one can only assume that it is part of the team’s think tank pet theory to look into the future and encourage young players. But should the clincher be potential or performance? It is here one feels RP Singh would have been a better bet. In any case VRV Singh is bound to be little more than a tourist for the final eleven is almost certain to contain only two pacemen and with Irfan Pathan a certainty the final place will be contested by Sreesanth and Munaf Patel.

 

The inclusion of Ramesh Powar as the third spinner is a sort of insurance against any injury to Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh. It is almost certain that the two senior spinners will figure in the eleven and if one of them is incapacitated in any way the tour selection committee probably would want to continue with the two spinners policy. This is the only reasoning possible for Powar’s gifts are more suited to the one-day game. There is nothing in his CV that says he is ready as yet for Test cricket.

 

There are no real surprises in the list of batsmen. Suresh Raina was always due for a leg up after a string of impressive performances in the ODI’s and his electrifying fielding would also have weighed in his favour. With Sachin Tendulkar unavailable one place in the middle order was available and Raina was always the odds on favourite to fill the vacancy. Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag, VVS Laxman and Yuvraj Singh are already a formidable quartet and they could pose problems aplenty for the seemingly innocuous West Indian bowling line up. A minor surprise is that there is no reserve opening batsman so it is left to Sehwag and Wasim Jaffer to shoulder the onerous duties to the best of their ability. At the press conference called to announce the team selection committee chairman Kiran More spoke of Dhoni as a possible opening batsman though it is doubtful whether the tour management will have thoughts along these lines.

 

It is interesting to note Dinesh Karthick’s selection. Normally for a tour of just four Tests and no other games one wicket keeper should suffice. But the selectors obviously want to keep Dhoni on his toes so that he does not take his place for granted even with his newfound star status and pin up boy image. Dhoni has not had the best of times with the bat in the three ODI’s on the tour while Karthick being an efficient keeper is also a fine performer in front of the stumps. His batting is organized if less spectacular and he has had a string of notable performances recently for the A team. As such his replacing Parthiv Patel who was the substitute stumper on the tour of Pakistan is no surprise.

 

So can this basically young side break a 35-year-old jinx and emulate Ajit Wadekar’s team of 1971 the only squad to win a Test series in the Caribbean. As the all important fact illustrates history is against them and with the West Indian team showing signs of resurgence under the shrewd captaincy of Brian Lara the mission will be tough but not impossible.

 

(Article: Copyright © 2006 CricketArchive)