We all know that India urgently needs to resolve issues in the batting department (in both Tests and ODIs). The opening pair is far from settled. Dravid is not an established opener and Sehwag…well he may just be on his way out. Jaffer was OK in Tests but his place in the side is still not guaranteed and Gambhir has already been let go. Tendulkar is not firing and Kaif is forever on trial.
With the One-Day series already won, one would think that this would be an excellent opportunity to try out young batting potentials - not just for the WC but also for the upcoming series (both Tests and ODIs).
But curiously, the selection team continues to pack the team with more and more bowlers. First they include Agarkar when we already have 4 pacers - Pathan, Sree Santh, Munaf and RP Singh. And if that was not enough, they have now included one more bowler VRV Singh in place of a batsman (Dravid, who is rested).
The ironical thing is that inspite of so many so-called “specialist” bowlers in the side, we still have to look up to the bowling of Sehwag and Yuvraj to complete the 50 overs !!
Why can’t we select some more “Robin Uthappas” from the domestic circuit to try out in the next 3 matches ?
Well, first of all, I think it's pretty much safe to say that almost all of us (except for maybe Navjut Sidhu) will have no problems in pushing Agarkar from the top of the cliff (Para shoot not provided), but apart from that point, youngsters should be blooded and given a chance, yes, and now that the series win is registered under India's belt, the likes of Mohammad Kaif should be persisted by having him up the order for the remainder of the matches praying that his form returns where it belongs, and Munaf Patel also should play a major role in the bowling line-up in the next couple of matches as a front-line attacker (with Irfan), as he builds up his confidence in preparations for the FTP's and World Cup.
This idea might backfire, but I'd give Wasim Jaffer his debutant opportunity to bat in the opening pair, alongwith Sehwag, for the next couple of matches. Dravid seems hesistant in terms of opening, although he did quite well last night. Pathan, Raina and Powar should also receive maximum amount of playtime out in the middle.
On another note, ever since Pathan has been tried and tested at the one-down position, he has been quite successful, with an average of 43 in 7 matches, highest being 83. His scores are as follows:
83 vs. Sri Lanka
35 vs. Sri Lanka
37 vs. South Africa
65 vs. Pakistan
0 vs. Pakistan
36 vs. England
46 vs. England
After honing my math skills a little more, it is clear from the evidence that he scored them at a brisk and rapid rate as well, with an average strike rate (for all seven games above) being 82%. Very useful batsman in the top order if one needs to fully utilize the Power Plays to the greatest extent, and Irfan will provide them with just that.
I have suggested this before as well; Munaf Patel should now be a permanent member of the side if India is planning to include a major fast bowler, someone who can instill the fear in the opposition. Pathan, SreeSanth and Munaf, I believe, should be the three bowlers that should play every major game from now on, with Munaf being a fixture on all matches past World Cup '07. The speed and pace that he generated in his selections in test matches were extremely refreshing, and only practice will make him perfect. The more practice he will incur, the better and more attacking bowler he is going to be. I am not sure whether he is hit with injuries that is keeping him out of the team, but he should be an automatic selection from now on.
Two weeks ago, half of the globe was busy reading those 3-page Patel articles as to how he is the next best thing to happen since electricity, but now all of a sudden, the hype has disappeared into thin air. He is not even in the scene anymore, let alone making the headlines.
With the One-Day series already won, one would think that this would be an excellent opportunity to try out young batting potentials - not just for the WC but also for the upcoming series (both Tests and ODIs).
But curiously, the selection team continues to pack the team with more and more bowlers. First they include Agarkar when we already have 4 pacers - Pathan, Sree Santh, Munaf and RP Singh. And if that was not enough, they have now included one more bowler VRV Singh in place of a batsman (Dravid, who is rested).
The ironical thing is that inspite of so many so-called "specialist" bowlers in the side, we still have to look up to the bowling of Sehwag and Yuvraj to complete the 50 overs !!
Why can't we select some more "Robin Uthappas" from the domestic circuit to try out in the next 3 matches ?
I agree with you to some extent. I think resting Dravid is good idea but replacing him with a bowler, when we already have 4 more in team, is stupid. We should kick that Agarkar dude out and give Munaf more chances. Right Now the situation is such that ,we dont have one extra batsman in team.If something happens to any of the batsmen on morning of the match day then I dont know what will they do.
But I think, giving extended run to Kaif and Sehwag is good idea since we have already won the series. Next 3 games should decide future of these 2 guys. If they dont fire, let them go. But problem is that I dont see any youngester who is doing very good in 1st class. All the guys who are batting well are already in late 20s and I dont want them to get chance. We need someone in the age group of Raina. May be Pujara, Dhiman or Shikhar Dhawan. But they have either zero or limited experience in 1st class cricket. Indian bench strength in Batting side looks weak.
^ If the last sentence you said above becomes true, that will be the end of Indian dream, right there. The bowlers are mediocre at the best and quiet behind from the world standards of pressure bowlers. Don't give example of Pakistan, their batting can make anyone hero overnight. Indian batting is what puts all the pressure on the opponent team that helps their bowler to exploit the potential collapse.
If India loses its strong hold (batting for last 10 years) as one example of Sehwag's complete failure in last 14 months, then India will go quiet behind with individual brilliances and couple of firing allrounders. Pakistan of recent past.
That is exactly my point. Indian team is in an unsual situation with too many potentials in the bowling dept....but very little in batting. We don't see one Dravid or Tendulkar in the horizon.
With so much of cricket being played...it would have been logical to develop a pool of batsmen just like we seem to be doing with bowlers.
