Tough test for Gavaskar

Rohan Gavaskar's inclusion ahead of Mohammad Kaif - poor county stint notwithstanding - and Sridharan Sriram seemed a bizarre choice, given that his name has never been part of discussions regarding Test match probables.

Sriram has more reason than most to rue his wretched luck after a couple of seasons when he has piled on the runs in domestic cricket. There was a touch of class about his batting in the Challenger Trophy, though to be fair, Gavaskar also acquitted himself admirably.

For Shiv Sunder Das, Gautam Gambhir and Kaif, being left out is a terrible blow, and it calls into question their chances of playing against New Zealand. For Kaif, who was the toast of India just over a year ago after his heroics in NatWest Series final, it's back to the practice pitches if he fancies himself as anything more than a one-trick pony.

The two Bs, Laxmipathy Balaji and Amit Bhandari, appear to have nudged ahead in the pace tussle. With Javagal Srinath and Ashish Nehra still far from certain to get on the plane to Australia, they'll never have a better chance to impress. But first they have to pass the Sachin Tendulkar test in Chennai, and that's never easy, even when the first swallow of summer's flying overhead.