da poker： But for the welcome inclusion of young Parthiv Patel, there areno real surprises in the Indian squads for the one-day tri-seriesand the Test matches in England
Partab Ramchand10-Jun-2002
© CricInfoBut for the welcome inclusion of young Parthiv Patel, there areno real surprises in the Indian squads for the one-day tri-seriesand the Test matches in England. And why should there be? Despiterecent reverses abroad, there is very little scope for makingsweeping changes in the squad that, quite predictably, iscomposed of established stars, youngsters who are hopefully areon their way up and players who despite failures of late deserveanother chance to prove themselves.Indeed, both the Test and one-day squads are quite watertightthese days and it would require an astonishing feat, amazingconsistency or a young player with exceptional talent and abilityto get in. And there is no doubt that Patel is uncommonly gifted.Playing in various age-group competitions, the 17-year-old fromGujarat exhibited his skill early and as captain of the Indianunder-19 side, he has displayed maturity far beyond his age. Anadmirer of Adam Gilchrist, the left-handed Patel is known to pacehis innings with a blend of calculated attack and rock-soliddefence. But he has made it clear that he wants to make his markfirst with his work behind the stumps. “I am awicketkeeper/batsman, not a basman/wicketkeeper”he is quoted tohave said and this can only be good news for Indian cricket.There was never really much chance of Javagal Srinath making thelimited overs side once he had announced his retirement from Testcricket. He missed a number of one-day competitions over the lastfew years, preferring to conserve his energies for Test matches.As the series in the West Indies proved, he is over the hill andthe selectors have done well in turning their backs on him. It istime now to look to the future, with the focus firmly on nextyear’s World Cup and the present quartet of Tinu Yohannan, AshishNehra, Ajit Agarkar and Zaheer Khan look good enough to representIndia even a year from now, provided they make the most of theopportunities the tour of England will present them.It is not often that India have gone to England with just twospecialist spin bowlers in the Test squad. But in taking onlyAnil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh, the selectors have underscoredthe theory that seam, more than spin, will be required inEngland. Srinath and Venkatesh Prasad proved this in England in1996 and in the post-spin-quartet period, bowlers like Kapil Dev,Roger Binny and Chetan Sharma have both done the bulk of thebowling as well taken the majority of the wickets though spinnerslike Maninder Singh and Dilip Doshi have had their moments.It is a pity that Murali Kartik had to be left out but onceKumble was declared fit, this was always on the cards. Kartikshould not take his omission to heart and instead must continueto work hard to get back into the side.The selectors have done well in persisting with Shiv Sundar Dasdespite his failures in the West Indies. Too often has thisunfair and short-term policy of hiring and firing dealt anadverse impact on the team. Das and Wasim Jaffer are still ourbest bet for a durable opening pair and it is hoped that the duowill make the most of their chances and solve Indian cricket’slong standing problem. As an insurance, the inclusion of SanjayBangar as a reserve opening batsman-cum-utility player is mostwelcome.As to the regulars in both the squads, one can only hope thatthey live up to their reputation. The youthful tilt in the oneday squad, thanks to the presence of players like Yuvraj Singh,Mohammad Kaif, Dinesh Mongia and Virender Sehwag, is bound togive fielding standards a fillip. Sehwag, of course, is also inthe Test squad and about the only iota of doubt is to whether hisairy-fairy, blustery kind of batting can come good in England,given the fact that Krish Srikkanth was not exactly a success onthe 1986 tour.
© CricInfoAgarkar, another player in both the squads, gets yet anotheropportunity to cement his place in the Test side. One sincerelyhopes he grabs this chance with both hands. The slimly builtMumbai all-rounder is undoubtedly gifted but his performanceshave not seen him live up to his potential. This could well be amake-or-break tour for him.