Decisive tour of England beckons for India A

An India A tour is usually an outlet for burgeoning aspiration and steep ambition, and the late-summer English tour could prove decisive for many fringe cricketers - something John Wright drove home on two separate occasions while helping out at the training camp in Bangalore.

In early June, Wright assured the India A squad that a lack of consistency in the national side could cost any cricketer his place. His later comments were more forceful, almost dismissive of domestic cricketers who seemed defeatist about fighting their way into a star-packed team. "I have no time or place for players with an attitude like that ... they need a kicking," said Wright. "Anyone wanting to get into the team has to believe that he can take Sachin Tendulkar or Rahul Dravid's place."

Wright's statement may seem mere encouraging rhetoric; Tendulkar and Dravid are already legends in their own lifetime, and short of a concentrated charge of explosives, nothing looks likely to dislodge them from the side. But embedded as the two men may be, the line-up itself is far from settled. Potentially up for grabs are two opening slots, the third fast bowler's position, as well as those of wicketkeeper-batsman, left-arm spinner and - despite Anil Kumble's recent brave statements - legspinner.

In the India A squad to tour England in June-August, there are at least 10 players - out of 16 - who could vie for those vacancies. Gautam Gambhir, Shiv Sunder Das and Wasim Jaffer are all candidates for the top two slots and, indeed, have opened for India in the past. The tour will be decisive for Gambhir in particular; he has consistently racked up runs on A tours, and if he does well in England, the national selectors would find it difficult to ignore him further, especially for a slot in which they are constantly making do with ad-hoc solutions.

Four fast bowlers - L Balaji, Aavishkar Salvi, Amit Bhandari and Irfan Pathan Jr - are realistic contenders for a place in the pace attack, especially since Javagal Srinath looks quite decisively on the way out. Salvi shone with the A team in the West Indies and, after playing in the TVS Cup, is perhaps the most likely pick. But if Balaji - after numerous consecutive Ranji five-wicket hauls - can bolster his reputation with some sound bowling abroad, Salvi will face stiff competition.

Murali Kartik and Amit Mishra too are ex-India caps, trying to winkle out a spinner's role for themselves. Kartik's talent is apparent, but in four Tests, he has bowled only as many overs as Muttiah Muralitharan sometimes bowls in a single game. Wickets in relatively unfriendly English conditions may earn him the recall - and confidence - he wants. When New Zealand tour India later this year, spin will be high on the selectors' wishlist, and both Kartik and Mishra would relish bowling against New Zealand at home.

Parthiv Patel will also be under scrutiny. He may be first-choice Test wicketkeeper at present, but he must consolidate his position with his batting, to which end he has even been pushed up the order for this tour. With Rahul Dravid apparently not wanting to keep wicket any more in one-day internationals, that slot is also open - but the man who fills it must be a canny batsman.

The Indian middle order is the hardest part of the line-up to break into. Hemang Badani did retain a fairly regular one-day spot for some time, and Ambati Rayudu's talent may even breach that rarefied bastion of the Indian team.

A tours are far and away the best method to get noticed. Not only do the exposure and experience add to a player's repertoire, but sterling performances in alien conditions will speak more eloquently than a string of domestic centuries. Ask Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif, both of whom cut their teeth on age-group and India A tours rather than in the Ranji Trophy.