A tale of missed opportunities
Asim Naeem - 13 March 2002
The current Zimbabwe series has proved quite fortunate for India.
They have had a good chance to try out new talent without risking
a series loss. The Zimbabwe outfit is not a team to be scared of,
especially on home soil.
But just a few thoughts. It seems quite lucky that two senior
players like Sachin Tendulkar and Javagal Srinath were forced to
miss out, for it has given a chance for the younger guys to step
up and take on the mantle of responsibility. India are keeping
one eye on the next World Cup in grooming these youngsters.
Keeping in mind that India face off against an easy opposition on
easy-paced wickets, the newly baptised players are under much
less pressure to perform and therefore play their natural game.
The fact is that jumping from domestic cricket to international
cricket is no joke. It is a completely new dimension, a new
world. India have always had an embarrassment of riches when it
comes to batting talent, with a shortage only in the fast-bowling
department. India should be looking to groom medium-fast bowling
all-rounders to maintain a good team formation.
Back to my topic, though; Srinath, Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag
missing out meant a chance for Mohammad Kaif, Dinesh Mongia and
Zaheer Khan. It was also a good time for veterans like Rahul
Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman to learn to play without
Tendulkar. The situation alters appreciably once Tendulkar is not
playing; these three gentlemen then feel much more responsible
and play much better. The present series is also an indicator
that resting Srinath is a good idea, preserving him for better
wickets against stronger opposition. The inclusion of Sanjay
Bangar and Ajay Ratra were also intelligent moves. Deep Dasgupta
is just too careless to be given a chance against quality teams,
especially in the fickle environment of the one-day arena.
India have fewer opening problems in the limited-overs format
than in Tests. On the one hand, they have the combination of
Tendulkar and Ganguly, which I feel is the best in world cricket
at the moment. Other than that, one could throw in Sehwag for an
alternate opening standing, and he is also a mean hitter in the
first 15 overs. I would not like to see Shiv Sunder Das in the
one-day plans, as it disturbs a very good formula and he is just
not good enough to bat further down the order. He is ideal for
the Test arena, so it is better not to ruin his Test mindset.
Dinesh Mongia is also a useful one-day cricketer and a good
fielder.
The middle order is also strong, with the Dravid-Laxman-Kaif
nexus coming into play. It lends a solid look to the batting, but
Dravid and Laxman must remember to play within their limits and
rotate the strike at regular intervals. The bonus is that all
three players are also excellent fielders. India must also play
with the rotation policy to give more players regular exposure
and give star players enough rest and fewer risk of injuries.
Zaheer Khan has emerged as a very good attacking option and needs
more playing exposure. He also needs the selector’s confidence
for further improvement. Ajit Agarkar deserves a place due to his
good performances and improved batting, while Bangar can fill in
the role of the all-rounder. Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh fill
the spinner’s slots; both are attacking bowlers and are deadly on
their day.
The Indian fielding has improved considerably, but Ganguly needs
to improve and set a better example. It is quite fortunate that
the younger players are good fielders. India has a long and tough
schedule coming up, with tours to the West Indies and England, as
well the ICC Cup. It is an excellent time to cement places and
formulate strategy for the World Cup.
My Test team for the tours to West Indies and England would be:
Shiv Sunder Das, Mohammad Kaif, Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar,
Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Ajay Ratra, Javagal Srinath, Sanjay
Bangar, Virender Sehwag, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer
Khan, Ajit Agarkar.
My World Cup one day team.
Dinesh Mongia, Mohammad Kaif, Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar,
Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Ajay Ratra, Javagal Srinath, Sanjay
Bangar, Virender Sehwag, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer
Khan, Ajit Agarkar.
I have retained most players for both teams as I feel that they
are good enough to play both versions of the game with ease. But
it is up to the selectors to stick with this band of players and
use the rotation policy with them only. It is not wise to blood
new players in the World Cup, since the pressure will get to
them. For such a high-profile tournament, all the players in the
squad must be good enough to play usefully and not merely
passengers.
My Test team is based on experience also, keeping in mind that
the Caribbean is still a tough place for visiting sides and
England are also tough home opponents. Having a reliable wicket-
keeper is key; once you let Brian Lara, Carl Hopper or Chris
Gayle off, they will make you pay dearly. Hence Ratra is my
choice as gloveman.
I believe that, if the selectors stick with this team for the
World Cup, it is good enough to reach the semi-finals at the
expense of New Zealand, the other semi finalists being Pakistan
(or Sri Lanka), South Africa and Australia.
The views expressed above are solely those of the guest contributor and are carried as written, with only minor editing for grammar, to preserve the original voice. These contributed columns are solely personal opinion pieces and reflect only the feelings of the guest contributor. Their being published on CricInfo.com does not amount to an endorsement by CricInfo's editorial staff of the opinions expressed.
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