So the selection debate ends with the “incumbent batsmen” keeping up their places and the “next generation” players getting a peep-in into the final 15. I feel so sad for the critics of Saurav Ganguly who had wrote him off and declared him a thing of past. He is back again and I can’t hide my happiness. I don’t care if I am being termed as cynical or whatever, but the fact is I have always liked the fighting qualities of the man and he in a way has inspired me in more ways than one. I cannot help but to back him to max, though it doesn’t matter a heck in the end. It anyways won’t change his fortunes, but would give me a satisfaction. A player who cut through the system out of various charges of quota selection, being duped as a LORD SNOOTY or MAHARAJ or a disturbing effect on the team by Greg Chappell, the man transformed the Indian team from a meek outfit to the current outfit who has conquered all but New Zealand.
He transformed the attitude of the players, rubbed off the north-south divide, backed few players he thought were good and today the world knows them by the names of Sehwag, Bhajji, Zaheer, Dhoni, Yuvraj etc etc. Not to mention that he resurrected the career of Dravid in ODIs and Kumble in Tests once he was termed as past force after the NZ tour of 2003. HE fought an eye to eye with the best and led the team to some memorable triumphs home and away. I am too small an entity to write anything about the great man. But my heartfelt wishes to the man from Kolkata to come good and shut his critics off.
Besides the team is on the expected lines. Selection of Amit Mishra can be debatable though it’s very little chance that he might play. What wrong did Ojha do to be ousted without a game ? That’s what you call selection inconsistency which Nasser Hussein very well summarizes it. Badrinath gets a look-in as well, but again he won’t be playing. I cannot understand a reason why he is being so rated hugely. He was okish in the SL ODI series and doesn’t look to be a very attractive or solid prospect. Yeah making noises can be attributed to him, but then making runs concerned, I won’t bet a penny on this man from TN (is he in cos the Chief selector hails from TN J).
Munaf Patel won’t be playing and so would be RP Singh. RP Singh has drastically fallen apart since the Asia Cup in June this year. Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma look the starters in the XI along with the captain and Harbhajan Singh as spinners.
All in all it’s a fair team selection IMHO, though the critics of the Fab four would be fairly miffed looking that none of the incumbent chickens were rolled off. Alright, the stage is set, the team is in like it or not. Now we all the bloggers got to rally behind this team to support it during this epic series and ensure that we give a tough fight to Aussies once again and we get to see another high voltage series as India – Australia have always been. 8 days to go.
