The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Tendulkar's inclusion, a psychological move

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Oct 02, 2004

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Tendulkar's inclusion, a psychological move

By Sanjay Rajan

CHENNAI, OCT. 1. It was only logical that the newly-appointed senior National selection committee included Sachin Tendulkar in the 15-man squad for the first two Tests against Australia. It couldn't have been otherwise after the BCCI doctor, Anant Joshi, and the team physiotherapist, Andrew Leipus, said that the batsman was "progressing well" in the treatment for his tennis elbow.

Though Tendulkar's fitness would be decided on the morning of the first Test at Bangalore on October 6, he is unlikely to play, considering that the Mumbaikar was advised `to bat for only 10 minutes at a stretch to begin with' only recently.

"I've been asked to take gradual steps during my practice, as I have not played for six weeks and there is some muscle loss (in the left elbow). I can't go bang-bang," Tendulkar said in Mumbai on Friday.

His inclusion has more to do with providing the side the psychological edge — mind games play a big part in a high-profile series and that too against Australia. Unlike the visitor, which is without star batsman and captain Ricky Ponting (expected to join only for the third Test), Tendulkar will very much be part of the team — playing or not — in Bangalore and Chennai and certainly in the remaining two Tests at Nagpur and Mumbai.

Going by the script

The selection went along expected lines. Quite understandable, as this is the first Test of a four-match series. Md. Kaif, who last played a Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo in 2001, has been picked for the form he has shown in recent times. Depending on who goes out with Virender Sehwag, Kaif might even get a chance to play.

One, however, feels that Ganguly will not tamper with the opening pair of Sehwag and Chopra; at least not for the first Test. Yuvraj should therefore bat at No. 6, the position in which he scored a Test century at Lahore.

It has been rather strange to see the Indian team suffer a sudden loss of form ahead of a key series. Thankfully, though, Sehwag and Yuvraj made confidence-boosting centuries in the second innings of the practice game between India Seniors and India `A' at Bangalore.

It was only natural that the players took time to adapt to the longer version of the game after four back-to-back ODI competitions. It is for the BCCI to look at this aspect while chalking out the itinerary in the future.

India's main weapons — Harbhajan Singh (who missed the last two Test series owing to injury) and Anil Kumble — did not impress during the practice match at Bangalore. Left-arm spinner Murali Kartik's presence gives Ganguly more options though one has to add that the skipper has more faith in his star spinners. It is common knowledge that Ganguly always backs his instincts.

Balanced squad

All in all, it is a balanced squad and the best possible one in the given circumstances. As is the case always, the selection process left a few deserving aspirants heart-broken. And none more than Tamil Nadu's Sridharan Sriram, who has displayed tremendous consistency at the domestic and India `A' levels for the past few years.

But Sriram needn't feel disheartened. The century against India Seniors against a quality attack, which boasted of Zaheer Khan and Irfan Pathan, made people sit up and take notice. For real.

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