India's decision to go in with four medium pacers in the match against West Indies was a strange one. Playing four medium pacers in Indian conditions is a luxury even a Maharaja in his pomp would turn a blind eye to. Excessive use of medium-pacers on Indian turfs, an obese, overflowing middle order and the serial quarrel over Irfan Pathan at No.3 which the team picks up with the nation every time it takes the field - the Indians are only
refining their finesse to shoot themselves in the foot.
We all know the soil in western India has a reddish tinge. In
cricketing parlance it means a ticket to party for the spinners at the start
and end of a cricket season. Yet India dispensed with Ramesh Powar and
picked
up four medium pacers. I can understand if you
have pacers who can bowl at 140kmph but
that isn't the case. Just picking up right and left-arm bowlers doesn't
mean variety. There was too much sameness. All you
end up doing is under-bowl
a few of them and turn to
the Sehwags and Yuvrajs. Fifteen overs between
them
is an admission that the team woke up to the reality
late in the game.
Sometimes wisdom comes to us when it
can no longer do any good.
Now take
the case of India's packed middle order. Besides
the ones who played, Dinesh
Mongia and Mohammad Kaif
were resting on the bench. Compare this with
the
options they have at the top of the order. If some unfortunate
injury was to happen to Virender
Sehwag or Sachin Tendulkar, India don't have
an option to
give the team a thrust in the Power Plays. Who are
the
alternatives they have thought of for such an
eventuality?

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Gautam Gambhir must find a place in the squad for the World Cup, argues Shastri
© AFP
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Clearly, the Indians must, without any further delay, get an
absolutely clear idea of the 15 they are going to pick for the World Cup. In my squad, Gautam Gambhir will be
a
must. You can't sideline players who can take a good
helping for
themselves in the Power Plays. It is an area
where India don't seem to take a
heavy toll of
bowlers. Even in Ahmedabad on Thursday, they should have promoted
Yuvraj Singh to make the most of the field
restrictions, or even Suresh Raina,
who needs to be
given a stage to establish himself as a top-order
left-hand
batsman rather than allow him to languish at
No.7.
Despite all the problems at the top, India
keep thrusting Pathan at No.3. Bull-headedness is one thing but
carrying on in
the same vein is foolhardiness. I believe the time has come for Dilip
Vengsarkar, the chairman of selectors, to impose his
will early in his stint and be hands-on when the
playing XI is being
selected or the batting order is being pencilled down.
Otherwise,
the ship, already in stormy waters, is bound to run
into rocks.
I can't believe this is the same side which stirred my
heart six months
ago. The quality of players hasn't
worsened drastically, but poor
selection and mismanagement of batting positions has seriously hampered the side. More of it and the bottom will come apart.
The pitch for their match against West Indies wasn't a 220-run kind of surface. Even
this total was
possible due to Mahendra Singh Dhoni's sensible
batting. As I said, there are too many men queuing up for a place in
the middle order while at the top there aren't enough hands to pick up the riches of the Power Plays.
India are now left to pick up the pieces. Around the
same time last year, they staged a revival. Sometimes acknowledging your erroneous ways is the first step to redemption. Hopefully common sense will prevail and Dinesh Mongia will be thought of as an option in the do-or-die game against Australia.