The Indian team for the one-off Test against the Australians was announced the other day, and at first sight the selection committee comprising Ramakant Desai and Shivlal Yadav, the new entrants, and Kishen Rungta, Pandove and Sambaran Bannerjee appear to have taken some bold decisions.

The first of these is the omission of Vinod Kambli, Ajay Jadeja and Sanjay Manjrekar; another is the inclusion of exciting batsman V V S Laxman in the squad.

Of the omissions, Manjrekar's alone can be deemed unfortunate, as he is a classy player capable of playing the sheet anchor role in the longer version of the game. Kambli and Jadeja, however, have been found wanting in the longer version of the game, and the selectors are to be applauded for their decision not to carry excess baggage.

The batting and bowling, however, look somewhat lopsided. For one thing, the selectors have included four spinners out of seven specialist bowlers. Now, unless the Firozeshah Kotla wicket is underprepared for this game, the chances are it will be its usual benign self, providing little if any assistance to either pace or spin. Having said that, I cannot quarrel with the selectorial thinking of going into a Test match with five specialist bowlers. In this case, the selectors are giving themselves the option of playing two seamers and two spinners for sure, with either a third seamer or third spinner being introduced into the side depending on the last minute reading of the wicket and the conditions.

To do this, however, the selectors have sacrificed the specialist opener's slot, and in the process compromised the balance of the team. Wicket keeper Nayan Mongia has been asked to don the mantle of opener - and given that he is now to the role, chances are that an early wicket is on the cards which will, in turn, put immense pressure on the middle order.

The selectors would have been better advised to either recall W V Raman, who is in crackling form, or to have blooded another opener - either move would have made sense in the longer run, as India has a three-Test series against the powerful South African side coming up in November, followed by arduous tours of South Africa and the West Indies. Specialist openers will be a must for all three series, and this was a good time to have experimented with what could be a stable opening pair for the immediate future.

Basic cricketing principle is that specialist positions should not be tampered with, and that a motley mix of bits and pieces players can only bring grief to a Test team. A proper batting and bowling lineup, with specialists in the various positions, is a guarantee against nerves and panic.

I have a niggling feeling that the selectors have decided against a specialist opener as they are waiting for Navjot Singh Sidhu to complete his ban and return to the ranks. Now, there is no denying that Sidhu is by far the best opener India has on call right now. However, the special dispensation granted to Sidhu, after he unceremoniously deserted the Indian side when they needed him most, in England, will set an unhealthy precedent. What, for instance, will the board do if say a Srinath or a Kumble left midway through a series, arguing that they were being unfairly treated? Public memory is short, but is it so short as to forget that no less than Dilip Vengsarkar was once suspended for six months for merely having written a newspaper column while he was captain of India? Where has that toughness gone today?

One of the most pleasing decisions of the selection committee is the inclusion of Laxman, who must have missed the England tour by a whisker. He is a fluent striker of the ball, with plenty of time to play his shots. He is, besides, a quick learner, and is sure to have improved his running between the wickets - the one noticeable flaw in his cricketing armoury.

Let's look at India's spin bowling options. Aashish Kapoor and Narendra Hirwani are being persisted with, even after repeated failures at the Test level. Contrast this with the case of Venkatapathy Raju, who has been dropped after just one indifferent spell of bowling. The selectors apparently have not realised that most of the Tests India won at home under Azharuddin were due to the combination of Raju and Kumble bowling in tandem, each complimenting the other. The ideal combination for the Test against Australia, thus, would have been Kumble, Raju and Joshi, with Tendulkar chipping in with a few overs of off spin as needed.

The selection, thus, obviously owes to the pulls and presures of the zonal system. Raju does not have a godfather to push his cause, despite a record of 85 wickets in 25 Test matches. It is to be hoped that he makes a return to the side, especially given that India will be facing South Africa and the West In- dies in the near future.

The Aussies play their cricket the tough way. No compromises, ever. Sledging, bad language, everything is a weapon, used by the Aussies to win. The cricket field, for them, is a battle arena. Mark Taylor leads perhaps the most experienced Test side in the international arena today. And one thing they hate is to lose.

For this one off Test, the Aussie batting looks stronger than their bowling. This is because two of their frontline bowlers, Craig McDermott and Shane Warne, are nursing injuries. The great thing about the Aussies, though, is that they always play to peak capacity, they never give up, and they have the knack of rising to the occasion, of doing whatever is needed to win. A keen battle is expected, therefore, and one hopes that the curator of the Ferozeshah Kotla ground will provide a competitive wicket, and not the usual dead track this ground is notorious for.

Sachin Tendulkar will be leading India for the first time in Test cricket. And India is about to embark on its toughest period of Test cricket, of both the give day and one day varieties, in the next year. Given this, Tendulkar looks the best man to take charge, and under him Indian cricket is bound to look up. All the best, then, to Sachin and the boys.