Irani Trophy: Who will take on marauding Mumbai?

Picking a team to take on a side as formidable as the Mumbai side is never going to be an easy task. The Mumbai team is studded with stars and the spirit that somehow creeps into their cricket makes them a cricketing force second to none in the country. To match the Mumbai team, a selection of the country's finest will be picked to take on the Ranji champions in the Irani Trophy. Picking a team from varied backgrounds is dicey. A team full of stars often does not combine well. I embark on this thankless task of team selection with just one warning. This is my side, and I might have made choices that no one agrees with. As Jimmy Amarnath famously said "the selectors are a bunch of jokers."

Let us start with the openers. There is very little doubt that Sreedharan Sriram would claim the first spot ahead of anyone else. Though the youngster struggled against Mumbai in the crucial semifinal encounter, he amassed more than 1000 runs in the season and that simply cannot be ignored. As his partner, I would pick one of the stars of the Under-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka, Ravneet Ricky. Though he would not be a popular choice, the Punjab lad is equally comfortable against spin and pace.

VVS Laxman has made the No 3 slot his own. After the mammoth 353 he scored in the semifinal, Laxman dazzled with a century in the final against a quality Mumbai attack. With 1934 first class runs in the season, Laxman finished third in the all time list behind Mohinder Amarnath who scored 2234 runs in the 1982-83 season and Sunil Gavaskar who scored 2121 runs in 1978-79. At four I would plump for a good partnership and bring in veteran Mohammed Azharuddin. The man has made a splendid comeback to international cricket and is raring to go.

At number five, and no lower, one finds the second Tamil Nadu man in the squad - Hemang Badani. The southpaw who plays his cricket in Chennai won praise from Sachin Tendulkar for his 162 that almost took the game away from the hosts. At six it would be a toss up between two youngsters who have had exceptionally good seasons - Mohammed Kaif and Reetinder Singh Sodhi. For his all round ability and blood and guts approach to the game, Sodhi pips Kaif in my line up. Kaif would be unlucky to lose out, but with Laxman and Azhar already in the side, picking Kaif would be excessive.

At number seven the stumper Thilak Naidu creeps in. There is a paucity of quality 'keeper batsmen in the country and Thilak Naidu is a rare catch. Beginning his career as a wicketkeeper, Naidu had to bide his time as a batsman when Shiraguppi was the number one stumper. He was still able to command a place in the Karnataka side on his batting abilities alone. Later, when Shiraguppi went through a bad patch, Naidu was pressed into action. Grabbing the opportunity with both hands, Naidu has made the slot his own.

Four bowlers will end the line up. To open the bowling one would have to go for the experience of Venkatesh Prasad. He has the ability to bowl well even on wickets that provide little or no encouragement and that will hold him in good stead. As his partner, I would use Reetinder Sodhi. This gives me room to pick three spinners. I would go for Venkatapthy Raju, Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble. The selection of Kumble needs no explanation. Raju has bowled exceptionally well this season and his experience gets him the slow left armer's slot ahead of Murali Kartik. Harbhajan Singh gives the ball a good tweak and would provide good variation in the spin department.

The reserves bench would consist of Yuvraj Singh, Amit Bhandari and Mohammed Kaif.

My selection: Sreedharan Sriram, Ravneet Ricky, VVS Laxman, Mohammed Azharuddin, Hemang Badani, Reetinder Singh Sodhi, Thilak Naidu, Anil Kumble, Venkatapthy Raju, Harbhajan Singh and BKV Prasad. Reserves: Yuvraj Singh, Amit Bhandari and Mohammed Kaif.