MUMBAI, 13 July 2007 — As Team India get ready for Test battle with just one more warm-up match, they are beset with the usual English tour blues, wet weather, blistering cold, not to mention seaming wickets.
Despite the otherwise awkward planning, the visit to Ireland turned out to be a blessing in disguise. The players braved the patent Irish dampening at the cost of half the side being laid low with viral. Cricketwise, however, they did not miss the opportunity to acclimatize themselves not only to the vicious conditions, but also to some worthwhile opposition presented by South Africa. There is no denying the fact that the confidence level of Rahul Dravid and his boys is high, what with a comprehensive series victory over South Africa.
If there are some problems, the team look capable of ironing them out. There is, however, one which they will find rather too taxing to handle. It relates to the embarrassment of riches in two important departments of the game. The batting is loaded with players whose reputation and form will not warrant their exclusion from the playing eleven for the Test matches.
The imposing line-up is: Wasim Jaffer, Dinesh Karthik and Gautam Gambhir for the opening slots, with Dravid, Tendulkar, Ganguly, Laxman and Yuvraj Singh making up the middle order. That makes a round eight to choose from. At whatever position he comes in, the seventh spot is for wicket-keeper Dhoni.
If India stick to the old formation of playing only four specialist bowlers, “Gambhir will have to sit out, along with either Yuvraj or Laxman. Going by Yuvraj’s stupendous current form, he ought to get the nod over the Hyderabad batsman, who is low on other attributes.” The problem of the tour selection committee can be even more acute, should India decide to enter a match with five specialist bowlers, as it had done against Bangladesh, when both Laxman and Yuvraj had to be left out. Can India afford that luxury against England who have just routed the West Indies in a Test series ?
In order not to weaken the side’s batting, India would revert to the pattern of playing only four specialist bowlers. And hereabout emerges another selection problem. Newcomers Ishant Sharma and Ranadeb Bose will be raring to go. But will they get a look in, what with Zaheer Khan, R.P. Singh and Sreesanth having returned to their best bowling rhythm.
One of the younger pacers will get a chance if Dravid opts for a solitary spinner in Kumble. But the English batsmen’s vulnerability to off-spin may make Dravid think twice before leaving out Ramesh Powar. On most previous England tours, the problem faced by India was who to choose. Now, it is the other way round.
