A lifeline for Sreesanth

Anand Philar

The fact that the Indians have picked a squad containing three specialist spinners while leaving out a fourth frontline seamer for the forthcoming Test series against Sri Lanka could be a pointer to what is in store. However, there is little that can be faulted on the selections though the likes of Vijay and Badrinath, though deserve to be in the squad, might yet again be spending more time at the nets and carrying drinks.

The selection of Sreesanth is undoubtedly a key debating point. He must thank his stars to regain his spot, given his uncanny ability to court controversy. It is to be hoped that he has matured and learnt his lessons from his transgressions. Given to needless aggression and antics, Sreesanth had one foot in his cricketing grave, but the selectors have thrown a lifeline at him and if the young fast bowler uses his head more than his heart, he will be better off.

With Ahmedabad, Kanpur and Mumbai being the venues, logic demands a pace-oriented attack with three seamers and two spinners. Yet, I doubt the composition would be so as Dhoni might not want to go in a batsman short. Even if he wants a 6 (batsmen) and 5 (bowlers) combination, the question is: whom will he drop?

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You cannot look beyond a line up of Sehwag, Gambhir, Dravid, Tendulkar, Laxman, Yuvraj and Dhoni followed by four bowlers. Zaheer Khan, who is returning to international cricket from an injury, is a certainty along with Harbhajan Singh. Thus, the battle for the remaining two spots would involve Sreesanth and Ishant Sharma for the second seamer's position, and Mishra and Ojha for the chance to accompany Harbhajan, depending on the pitch conditions.

Under the circumstances, Vijay and Badrinath do not even figure in the equation. More the pity since the two have been performing consistently well in the domestic competition. Badri has even been the automatic choice to lead the India A teams in the recent times. His inclusion in the playing eleven could be only in case of injury to one of the batsmen.

As for Vijay, he will have to continue with his wait and the same could be said of Rohit Sharma who, it must be said, has failed to deliver when opportunities were given. No doubt, Rohit has the talent, but then, it is time he performed. But then, like Vijay, he has a long wait ahead.

Thus, overall, there are no surprises (with the exception of Sreesanth), in the selection, though you might want to make a case for a second wicket-keeper. However, it being a home series, drafting in are placement should not be an issue. Thus, it would do no harm for the fringe players like Vijay, Rohit, Dinesh Karthik and his ilk to remain in the reckoning through strong performances. The same could be said of Yusuf Pathan and Nehra or, for that matter, RP Singh, Praveen Kumar and Munaf Patel. That is a lot of talent lying around.

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Individually, the focus would be on the trio of Dhoni, Yuvraj and Sehwag. The ODI debacle against the Australians showed up the flaws in the team, though the Lankans would be another proposition and so also the Tests. Dhoni would be under pressure to chalk up a series win as his captaincy is coming under increasing scrutiny.

Likewise, Sehwag has been far too inconsistent, and the Test series provides him a great chance to work himself back into form. The same could be said of Yuvraj Singh.

It should be an interesting series despite the fact that the dice is loaded in India's favour. There is a fear of player fatigue in the Indian camp due to the non-stop cricket and travel in the past six months. It remains to be seen whether the home players would be able to put mind over matter.

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