Yuvraj
The catchy newspaper headline - Maharaj out, Yuvraj in - perhaps best summed up the scene ahead of the selection of the Indian team for next month’s Test series against England.
The need for such haste in the selection of a team for a series which commences three weeks from now and when the National squad is in the midst of an ODI contest might be questionable. But Yuvraj’s return to the squad for the five-day format is not.
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The consecutive centuries in different circumstances suggested that Yuvraj is all primed up for the Test series, and the four-for at Indore was the bonus.
Going by selection committee chairman Krish Srikkanth’s statement ahead of the selection team’s meeting, it is more than likely that the southpaw will occupy the middle-order spot left vacant by Ganguly’s retirement. And by the looks of it, Yuvraj will finally fulfill the early promise he showed and cement his spot in the Test side.
Yuvraj’s return to form augurs well for Dhoni’s team ahead of the two-Test series, and though there is a lot of speculation, I doubt if we will see any major changes to the squad that beat Australia 2-0.
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If at all there is a question mark, then it concerns Dravid whose woeful form in Sri Lanka and at home against the Aussies has put the batsman under pressure.
The half-century in the Ranji tie at Mysore though does indicate that he is beginning to get his game together, and for me, it will be a huge surprise if Dravid is overlooked for the England series.
If anything, the man, who only recently was the cornerstone of Indian batting, deserves one more chance.
If there are to be any major surprises, then it will involve the fringe players who in any case will be warming the bench for both the Tests.
Full Coverage: England in India 2008
Sehwag, Gambir, Dravid, Tendulkar, Laxman, Yuvraj, Dhoni, Harbhajan Singh, Amit Mishra, Ishant Sharma and Zaheer Khan pick themselves to complete the playing eleven, leaving only the other spots up for grabs.
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