Will youth prevail over experience?

The emphasis on the selection of the Indian side for the Asia Cup to be played from May 28 to Jun 7 at Dhaka has been youth. Though one may be happy that there are a few new faces, it will be difficult to see a side without the experience of Srinath or Prasad. The old war horse Srinath had suggested that he wants to opt out of playing onedayers in the future. Therefore it was all but expected that Venkatesh Prasad would shoulder the responsiblity. But surprisingly Prasad has been dropped.

When Indian selectors announce a squad for any tournament there are bound to be a few surprises. One man who has been at the receiving end of many a selectoral surprise is Karnataka medium pacer Venkatesh Prasad. If reports are anything to go by, Venkatesh Prasad is more than surprised at being omitted from the Indian squad that will go to Dhaka to play the Asia cup later this month.

Speaking to the press Prasad said that he was "shocked" at the fact that he did not even make the probables list. He added that he had been "training for Dhaka" and that he had been "on track for the past one week looking forward to the Asia Cup." Although he has never been express quick and some people are already beginning to hold his age against him, Prasad certainly has the performances to back him.

In the recently concluded tournament at Sharjah he was easily India's most successful seamer. His 5 wicket haul in the semi finals of the Ranji Trophy against Hyderabad showed tremendous character in the absence of stars Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble, who were away on county duty. At the end of all this, he cannot find favour with the selectors. Instead, they have chosen to go to Dhaka with Ajit Agarkar, T Kumaran, Zaheer Khan and Amit Bhandari.

The average age of these bowlers range between 19 to 25 making clear that the selectors are looking for suitable replacement to both Srinath and Prasad. In the absence of Prasad, Agarkar will be the spearhead of this Indian attack. the question is whether the young shoulder is ready to carry the burden on his shoulders. Only time will tell?