For a balanced Test team

Who was the last opening batsman to have played with distinction for India, no the world ? Not too many will get that one wrong...obviously Sunil Gavaskar. The Don, I thought, got this one wrong.

Who was the last genuine pace bowling all-rounder to have played for India... Sure, you all agree, Kapil Dev. Manoj Prabhakar, a debatable choice, comes a distant second, and, hence, may not qualify.

And who was the last genuine spinning all-rounder to have played for India... of course, Ravi Shastri.

Alarming is the word, if one considers what's happening to this precious breed, the opening batsmen and especially the all-rounder that we cannot unearth some?

Anyone out there willing to put their hands up?

And yet, those calling the shots in Indian cricket have paid very little attention in all these years to correct these two problems. The 'bowling all-rounder' that adds that vital ingredient called ' balance' to the side. And opening batsmen, who add solidity to the top, so vital to win matches overseas.

For wasn't cricket ideally meant to be played by five batsmen - two of these opening batsmen, four bowlers, one all-rounder and a wicketkeeper?

Notice the terminology: "bowling all-rounder" used here; for one may argue that isn't a genuine all rounder supposed to be just as good in both departments of the game and be able to get into the side on bowling or batting merits alone? A la Sobers, Miller, Botham, or even our very own Kapil?

Well, agreed, but since getting there is a distant dream, we'll settle for less - the bowling all-rounder!

And yet India always tours with more than 14 players with little attention paid to these two departments of the game.

Invariably the bench strength is weak and one or two players end up as passengers. If we tour with more than 14 players shouldn't the extra player be a bowling all-rounder, for that seems to be our biggest problem, or an opening batsman, because that seems to be our other big problem ever since Gavaskar retired.

Infact, even after all these years we haven't learnt our lessons and up until recently we invariably played with one specialist opener and one makeshift! We have, arguably, the best middle order in the world, so why not strengthen our opening slots to achieve success in Test matches overseas that will tell the world we've arrived.

As for the all-rounders' slot, we've got to find someone in this cricket-crazy country of one billion plus people. We just have to.

Agreed we cannot find another Kapil Dev but can anyone come even close?

In overseas Tests, the bowlers have achieved a fair bit of success in the past but invariably its our batsmen especially the openers who have failed to provide a foundation for a decent score and take the pressure off the middle order.

Now, can you imagine a Test team with two genuine opening batsmen, four bowlers plus a genuine all-rounder... now that's what I would call a balanced team.

Hope, for the good of Indian cricket, the selectors pay heed to this piece of advise when they sit down to select the Test team for the South African series and pick a balanced team. No passengers, please!

My team would be :

1) Shiv Sundar Das
2) Sadagoppan Ramesh
3) Rahul Dravid
4) Sachin Tendulkar
5) Sourav Ganguly
6) Bowling All-Rounder
7) Ajay Ratra or Deep Das Gupta
8) Harbhajan Singh
9) Anil Kumble
10) Ajit Agarkar
11) Zaheer Khan
12) Ashish Nehra
13) Javagal Srinath
14) V V S Laxman
15)Vinayak Mane or Wasim Jaffer (3rd opener)

If only 14 have to be picked then I would go with just two openers, otherwise, as a rule, I would always pick a third opener for an overseas tour. Thus, the grooming aspect is taken care of and a steady supply is available of this other rare commodity called the opening batsman. No passengers.

One glance at the above team and you'd get an idea how the balance of the team gets affected because of the lack of a genuine all-rounder.

Invariably, we'll pick V V S Laxman in place of the all-rounder in the first eleven and shuffle the batting around a bit.

Thus, instead of playing with five batsmen and the all-rounder, we'll end up having six batsmen, which will make the batting look top heavy and the bowling a bit weak.

With no genuine all-rounders on the horizon the selectors will take the easy way out and fill the above vacant position with a batsman, presumably Jacob Martin.

If the openers fail once, there will be a hue and cry and opinions aplenty about why Dravid should be opening. In the past even Laxman, Ganguly and even Tendulkar have been discussed as likely contenders to open in a Test match. In fact, Laxman has opened in the past with disastrous results.

When infact we should be actually grooming more opening batsmen by having a third opener if we tour with 15 or back the two we have for some time so that they get adequate exposure and are in a position to deliver in this highly difficult and specialist position.

Discussing these middle order batsmen for opening slots is itself a backward step. Remember what the selectors did to Sanjay Manjrekar's career, that fine number three batsman who at his peak was rated as the world's best? And almost did the same to Dravid. Thank God Dravid asserted himself; now look where he is.

So no more discussions about Dravid, Ganguly, Laxman or Tendulkar opening in Test cricket, period.

Where the question of opening batsmen is concerned at least we see some yongsters like Mane, Jaffer and Gambhir on the scene in addition to Das and Ramesh but the real problem is on the all-rounder front. Is Yuvraj Singh the answer? Will Ajit Agarkar scale up, especially on the batting front? Should we continue to shout for Robin Singh? Or is there a new star just around the corner waiting to be discovered?

Questions and more questions, but sadly no immediate answers. Indian cricket will definitely be better served with a pace bowling all-rounder in the Kapil Dev mould.

Are those responsible for nurturing Indian cricket paying attention ?

Going by the recent past they obviously are in very deep slumber !

This position is up for grabs. Is anyone out there listening?

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Mail Anil Noronha