The selectors got it right ... mostly

The selectors have done a reasonable job of picking the Indian one-day team for the series against Pakistan. They were hampered by the non-availability, through injury, of Anil Kumble, Ajit Agarkar and Harbhajan Singh, and there weren't too many difficult choices to make regarding fringe players. Mohammad Kaif, Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra all declared themselves fit, and were all duly selected. Nehra, though, will have to prove his fitness in the preparatory camp before the tour.

The toughest task facing the selectors was how to accommodate the return of Kaif. One of Hemang Badani and Rohan Gavaskar would have to go. Gavaskar did well in the VB Series recently, where he made his debut, but Badani shone in the finals, when Gavaskar was injured. Whoever lost out would have been plain unlucky and deserving of more chances ... and Gavaskar was the man. His absence from the squad, though, will keep Kaif and Badani on their toes. Three or four lean games could propel them back into the wilderness. Such pressure is good for the team.

With Kumble and Harbhajan both indisposed, several spinners were in the shake-up for a place in the squad. The selectors kept faith in Murali Kartik, and rightly so. Kartik might have had a bad run in Australia, but he was the pick of the bowlers against New Zealand at home last year, and against West Indies the year before that. Pakistan, with subcontinental conditions similar to the ones under which Kartik has played most of his cricket, will suit him, and he deserves the chance.

Ramesh Powar finally got his chance, too, and he will be an interesting player to watch. He had a Jekyll-and-Hyde performance against the Rest of India in last year's Irani Trophy match, where, bowling to what was virtually the national team's batting line-up, he impressed in the first innings with his flight and guile, but was hit all over the park in the second. He is an aggressive lower-order batsman as well, a good No. 8 to support the seven batsmen, and a possible pinch-hitter as well.

Sourav Ganguly had touted Kulamani Parida, the Railways offspinner, as one of the spinners who might be considered, but given his domestic record, Parida was a long shot. Sunil Joshi, who has stayed in touch on the domestic circuit, and who is a good strokeplayer down the order, must have been discussed - but with Kartik the first-choice spinner, another left-armer would have been deemed a luxury.

It's debatable whether India really needed to pick four fast bowlers for a five-match one-day series - three should have sufficed, and the extra spot could have gone to Gavaskar or Sanjay Bangar, who is a better batsman in the subcontinent than outside. But the selectors must have kept in mind that no matter who they pick, India's fast bowlers always turn out to be mercurial and/or injury prone.

Choosing Parthiv Patel was also a wise choice. Some may argue that India do not need an extra wicketkeeper, but if Rahul Dravid has a niggle or needs a break, it would be ridiculous to risk his presence in the Tests just because a reserve keeper wasn't on hand. Patel's selection also indicates that, barring something dramatic, he is the selectors' choice for the Tests. Common sense demands that the Test wicketkeeper be sent as the one-day reserve, so he can acclimatise himself to the conditions. Ajay Ratra, it seems, will have to wait.