India's selectors never learn from their previous mistakes. And thats one of the big reasons India's ODI campaign seems to be in murkier water after running a high on 2008 and 2009. The selection panel showed its wisdom and richness of thoughts and vision in the selection of BP XI for the warmup against touring Aussies later this month in Mohali.
There are just 6 specialist batsmen in the squad who would obviously play the game should no injury happen. But what if injury happens ?
Here is the breakup squad:
Openers : Gautam Gambhir and Abhinav Mukund.
Middle Order : Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane (in no particular order)
Wicket Keeper : Wriddhiman Saha
Spinners : R Ashwin, Piyush Chawla
Fast bowlers : Jaidev Undakat, Mithun, Sreesanth,
Allrounder : Jadeja
Crap!!
Jadeja is still being pronounced as allrounder. He is not even allrounder at domestic level. Still he finds a place in every team is surprising and disastrously ridiculous. I'd stop following Indian cricket the day he makes it to Test team replacing any of the batting greats.
GAmbhir is rightly in the team as he is short of the match practice owing to injury and the poor run in the Galle Test.
R Ashvin, Mukund are from TN. Mukund is deserving one though. He was at the other end in the partnership that saw M VIjay being rushed in 2008 owing to GG ban for 3rd Test.
Piyush Chawla is as a leg spinner and Ashvin is as a off spinner. If Ashvin comes good then he would exert some pressure on off colored IPL Ojha and Harbhajan Singh. Chawla is unsure commodity as he is being given lot of chances and he has not grabbed them with both hands.
The other side of selectors wisdom is if any of the 3 IPL teams make it to the semis or the finals of CLT20, then one of Dhawan, Kohli and Ashvin would miss out on the tour game as it starts on 9/25. CLT20 ends on 9/29.
So if this teams reach semis or 2 of the teams reach final some vital cogs of Test team would need to rush to India immediately to be part of the Test team......And switch from T20 mode to Test mode.
Dravid, Tendulkar, Zaheer, Harbhajan, Raina and MSD. 4 of 7 batsmen and 2 of the 4 bowlers. Wow what a good scheduling we've got for the Test series and the tour game for Australia.
Good side of this selection is there are no Rohit Sharmas and Dinesh Karthiks. What if Cheteshwar Pujara comes good in this tour game ? WIll Srikanth under influence of N Srini include him ahead of Suresh Raina (a CSK member)? or at least as a reserve batsman for the 14/15/16 member team for first test ?
Its clear that selectors have not gone wise from the Nagpur experience earlier this year when RD, VVS had injuries and W Saha had to play as a specialist batsmen last moment when Rohit Sharma also injured himself.
For sure there are similarities between Ijaz Butt and K Srikanth for they never learn from the mistakes and commit new folly every time.
