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Looking ahead

Following the debacle Down Under, where all but a couple of players stood above the mediocrity, many hopefuls will be looking ahead in anticipation as India's team for the next few international matches is picked.

Clearly the likes of Gandhi, Bharadwaj, Martin, Kanitkar and MSK Prasad failed to grab on to numerous opportunities presented to them and, worse of all, did not exhibit a willingness to grit it out and show that they deserved a place in the India XI. Furthermore, senior bowlers like Prasad and Kumble failed to provide the punch required of them in such a critical series.

The general feeling is that the team Down Under was simply not the best available one India could have fielded. With veteran batsmen like Azharuddin and Jadeja sweating it out at home, it was obvious to all that something was clearly missing in Australia.

And while captain Tendulkar feels that the "youngsters" should be persisted with, it is useful to note that Kanitkar is 26, Martin is 27, Gandhi is 28. Hence we aren't exactly talking about 22-23 year-olds who are new to the game!

The point of this exercise is to examine the top talent in the country today and construct the best possible team. It is time for Indian cricket to throw reputations in the trash can and make performance, commitment and hunger to succeed the prime criteria when picking the national team. Furthermore, those identified as having the above qualities should be groomed and helped along the way.

First, let me begin by naming the "certainties" in our Test and ODI teams, thus, at the same time, identifying the "vacancies".

Test team:
Ramesh (opener), Dravid, Tendulkar, Ganguly, Batsman, Wicket-keeper, Srinath, Seamer, Seamer, Spinner.

ODI team: Tendulkar, Ganguly, Dravid, Batsman, Jadeja, Robin Singh, Wicket-keeper, Srinath, Seamer, Seamer/Spinner, Spinner.

Now, let us look at what I call the "talent pool" of Indian cricket:

Openers: 5 - Ramesh, Jaffer, Haldipur, A.Kumar, Khoda

Middle-Order: 11 - Dravid, Tendulkar, Ganguly, Laxman, Jadeja, Azharuddin, Kambli, Kaif, Kothak, Martin, Kanitkar

All-rounders: 2 - Robin Singh, Reetinder Sodhi

Seamers: 7 - Srinath, Prasad, Kumaran, Agarkar, Mohanty, Ganesh, Bhandari

Spinners: 5 - Kumble, Karthik, Harbhajan Singh, Joshi, Chopra

Wicketkeepers: 4 - Mongia, MSK Prasad, Dighe, Karim

Looking first at the Test team, the second openers' slot has been unsettled for a few years now. It is time to pick and groom a player who has it in him to survive in international cricket. Indian cricket has thrown up only a few potential candidates in recent times, thus the options are limited. Perhaps 22-year-old Wasim Jaffer can be blooded at home and groomed with an eye on the future. He is known to have a solid technique and a sound temperament, pre-requisites no doubt, for the opener's position.

At the crucial number 6 spot, Azhar is still the man for the job. He is hungry, fit as ever, in good nick and remains the best fielder in the side. Also, his experience is of utmost utility in the middle and late-order. However, given that Azhar will likely play no more than 2-3 seasons, it is necessary to pencil in his successor. In this regard, it is best to return Laxman to his preferred position in the batting order. He is clearly unwilling to bat up the order and a reluctant opener can never be a good opener. Laxman possesses the temperament and skills to play at the highest level and deserves a prolonged run at the no. 6 position. However, other contenders such as Jacob Martin, Sitanshu Kotak and Mohd. Kaif should also figure in discussions when looking ahead.

Coming to the wicket-keeper's position, Mongia should ideally be the first choice 'keeper, given his skills with the gloves as well as his doggedness with the bat. However, Dighe proved to a very capable 'keeper and also a decent bat, thus he has a good shot at the job. With the on-going politics between the board and team management, Mongia may just find himself at the end of the road. Hence, Dighe may get the job by default. On the plus side, Dighe enjoys the confidence of his captain and that is an important point to be noted. M S K Prasad has performed reasonably well, and is young enough to improve with time. Hence, his name needs to be kept in mind. Looking further into the future, young Yatra, who figured prominently in the Under-19 World Cup-winning squad can be groomed for the position.

Moving on to the bowlers' spots, Srinath is the only one who currently guarantees himself a spot. Prasad, with growing wear and tear on his body, seems unable to cope with the demands of Test cricket. His fielding and throwing is a severe liability in the field. Agarkar is wildly inconsistent to be the no.2 seamer though he can make an ideal first-change seamer. Indeed, he was our most successful bowler in Australia, and at his young age, a bright future awaits him, provided that he works on his strength and conditioning.

Thus, the question of Srinath's partner needs to be addressed. Going on form, one would have to pick Dodda Ganesh, who has toiled long and hard on the domestic circuit. Given the right exposure, Ganesh can hopefully take some of the bowling burden off Srinath's shoulders. Ganesh has most certainly grown and matured since his debut tours to the West Indies and and South Africa. In the background, Kumaran and Mohanty can be seen as reserves for the seamers' slots, as and when the time comes for Srinath to hang up his boots. Young left-arm seamer Zaheer Khan is also a name for the future.

As for the spinners, there is a surprisingly low supply of these practitioners in India today. Kumble has time and again proved ineffective on foreign pitches and thus it is imperitive to look for a spinner who doesn't only excel in home conditions. Left-armer Murali Kartik has proved his worth in the domestic circuit and has also performed exceedingly well for India A in the West Indies last year. He can be India's spinner of the future, along with young Harbhajan. However, Kumble remains our match-winner at home and thus should be persisted with, while grooming Kartik and Harbhajan for the battles ahead.

Thus my Test team would look something like this:
Ramesh, Jaffer [Khoda/Haldipur/Arun Kumar], Dravid. Tendulkar, Ganguly, Azharuddin [Laxman/Kotak/Martin/Kaif], Dighe [MSK Prasad/Yatra], Kumble [Harbhajan/Kartik], Agarkar [Mohanty], Srinath, Ganesh [Kumaran].

{NOTE: The names in brackets represent players who are competing for those slots in the near future.}

Looking now at our ODI team, Azhar surely deserves a spot in the side and should occupy the no. 4 position. Keeping in mind Azhar's limited time left in the game, somebody like Yuvraj Singh can be groomed for the 4 or 5 spot in the near future. Yuvraj, an aggressive and confident batsmen who can also bowl, will be a welcome addition once Azhar calls it a day.

The keeper's position can be taken by Dighe or Saba Karim, who has shown immense batting capabilities for his domestic team. Dighe, based on recent performances, should get the nod. Robin Singh remains an integral part of the team at no.6, but at 37, his cricketing days are numbered. Reetinder Sodhi, a very promising youngster, should be groomed for the all-rounders spot as Robin's successor, as and when the time comes.

In the bowling department, it is time to look at some fresh faces. Amit Bhandari has distinguished himself in recent times and should be given a try along with Kumaran who proved successful in his first few matches against New Zealand. However, I feel Mohanty deserves the opening pairing with Srinath keeping in mind his success when given an extended run. Judging their performances on the ODI scene, these three can then compete for Test places thus creating a healthy rivalry between Ganesh, Agarkar, Mohanty, Bhandari and Kumaran.

In the spinner's slot, Kumble can still play a big role with his brand of bowling in the one-day game but Kartik, Chopra and Joshi will be pushing for places, no doubt.

Thus my ODI team would be:
Tendulkar, Ganguly, Dravid, Azhar [Laxman/Yuvraj Singh], Jadeja, Robin Singh [Reetinder Singh], Dighe [Saba Karim/Yatra], Chopra [Joshi], Kumble [Kartik], Srinath, Mohanty [Agarkar/Kumaran/Bhandari].

Clearly, there is no shortage of talented cricketers in the country. In fact, there seems to be an abundance of fine middle-order batsmen and seamers. For all the young budding batsmen and seamers out there who can't seem to crack into the side, perhaps becoming a leg-spinning opening batsmen is your key to securing a place in the XI!

What I am suggesting in this article is an urgent need to look to the future while conducting the selection process. Talented and committed youngsters need to be groomed while keeping the nucleus of the current team intact. Competition for places in the side will ensure that players guard against complacency and consistently perform at a high level.

Indian cricket definitely has the players to lift itself out of the abyss it currently finds itself in. The question now is: do these players have the burning desire and passion to win matches for their country?