The Hindu : Sport : No surprises in Indian squad

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Thursday, Nov 15, 2007
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Sport

No surprises in Indian squad

S. Dinakar

Return of Harbhajan and Murali Kartik is on expected lines

— Photo: AFP

BACK IN ACTION: Murali Kartik and Harbhajan Singh, seen here at the practice session at Gwalior on Wednesday, will be raring to have a go at Pakistan in the longer version of the game.

Chennai: There are no surprises in the 14-member India squad for the first two Tests against Pakistan. The return of Harbhajan Singh and Murali Kartik is on expected lines.

The absence of a conventional all-rounder — Irfan Pathan is unlucky to miss out — means the side lacks flexibility. Skipper Anil Kumble might have toyed with the five-bowler theory had Pathan been picked.

Now, the side is likely to enter the first Test in New Delhi with six specialist batsmen, a wicket-keeper batsman and four bowlers. The think-tank is unlikely to go into the match a batsman less and a bowler more.

Dinesh Karthik, Wasim Jaffer, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, V.V.S. Laxman and Sourav Ganguly pick themselves. Thus, in a scenario where an in-form batsman such as Yuvraj Singh is likely to sit out, it would not have made sense to include either Gautam Gambhir or Virender Sehwag in the squad.

Gambhir is in good nick while Sehwag has a stunning record against Pakistan. Both the top-order batsmen should be better off with match practise in domestic cricket than sitting on the Test bench.

As the vice-captain, ODI skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni will be a part of the team-management. While he is being groomed for Test captaincy, Dhoni would have to lift his performance as a Test cricketer. With Yuvraj pushing hard for a place in the eleven and the selectors having the option of using Dinesh Karthik as more than an opener if the need arises, Dhoni has to evolve with the big gloves and the bat.

Nicely balanced

The squad is nicely balanced in the spin department, with off-spinner Harbhajan and left-armer Kartik, on a comeback trail, supporting their leg-spinning captain. Harbhajan is likely to partner Kumble in a proven combination.

Harbhajan will also have the chance to exploit the footmarks created by left-arm paceman Zaheer Khan. An off-spinner was missed in India’s otherwise triumphant Test campaign in England.

Ramesh Powar has been overlooked after an indifferent ODI series against Australia where he was not exactly handled well by Dhoni.

The skipper did not display enough faith in Powar and spinners are essentially confidence bowlers.

The selectors would do well to keep Powar in the frame. He is an old fashioned off-spinner whose flight, loop, drift and turn could transform him into an effective Test bowler at some point.

Kartik deserved a recall. The left-armer bowled splendidly against the Aussies in the ODI series. He uses the crease cleverly and has developed a potent arm ball. If Harbhajan does not deliver, Kartik could be in the eleven during the later stages of the series.

Left-right combination

The Pakistani batting can be vulnerable against the new ball and Zaheer Khan and Sreesanth have the opportunity to make early inroads.

The two form a left-right pair of contrasts. Sreesanth’s outswing is his ally in the game’s longer version. Zaheer’s experience and craft make him a compelling left-arm seamer.

India played a third paceman in the lively left-armer, Rudra Pratap Singh, in England.

However, this slot is likely to be filled by a spinner in a home series.

In any event, R.P. Singh adds depth to the squad. Not many left-arm pacemen bring the ball into the right hander as much as he does.

The composition of the squad cannot be faulted too much.

The challenge before Kumble will be to hone ability into performance in what should be a high-pressure series.

For the Indian captain though, a contest against Pakistan is familiar terrain.

THE TEST TEAM

Anil Kumble (capt.)

M.S. Dhoni (vice-capt.)

Rahul Dravid

Sachin Tendulkar

Sourav Ganguly