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DEAR REDIFF

Kambli's comeback the highlight
of Independence Cup team

Prem Panicker

Vinod Kambli, who last played for India's national side against Pakistan in the Sahara Cup competition in Toronto, Canada, has been reinstated in the Indian team to play the four-nation Independence Cup tournament beginning May 9.

The national selectors, meanwhile, axed former captain Mohammad Azharuddin - who has till date never missed a match for India, either of the Test or ODI variety, since his debut at the Eden Gardens, Calcutta, in 1984-1985 and who has thus far played a record 244 ODIs - and opener Navjot Singh Sidhu, who missed the last two ODIs of the just completed Caribbean tour through injury.

The selection exercise, in fact, was always going to be pretty simple, given that India is coming to the end of a very long, hard season, and the form and fitness of most of the players is a matter of public knowledge.

But then, the national selectors do have the knack of having one surprise element, at the least, in every team they pick. This one is no exception, with Gagan Khoda, the left-handed opener from Rajasthan, being named to the side in place of Sidhu.

A most intriguing selection, this, for two reasons. Readers will surely not have forgotten the outcry there was, a while ago, when a certain Kishen Rungta, one of the five wise men who make up the national selection committee, attempted to have Khoda named as the 17th player Sachin Tendulkar had requested for, just ahead of the Caribbean tour.

At that time, Rungta's attempt had met with ridicule not only from the media and fans but even from his fellow selectors - after all, Sidhu, Laxman and Jadeja had already been named as openers, and if Khoda had been picked as well, then it would perhaps have been the first time in cricket history that a touring party had in its ranks four opening batsmen in a squad of 17.

Wiser councils - or rather, the collective opposition of the other four selectors - prevailed on that occasion. This time round, however, Rungta appears to have got his way, and got Khoda to replace Sidhu.

Why is this questionable? Simply because India, this time, is the host nation, and as such has no need of packing reserve openers in the side. The regular openers for ODIs in any event are Saurav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar - so what chance is there of Khoda getting a game?

In a word, none.

What does this effectively do? It reduces the squad - effectively - to 13. And when you consider that it is hugely unlikely that Dodda Ganesh will get to play unless injury affects either Prasad or Kuruvilla, we have in effect got a situation where the Indian team, as picked, is actually 12 men, though on paper the strength is 14.

A nice, simply task for Sachin Tendulkar, really - all he has to do, going into a game, is decide whether Robin Singh, Sunil Joshi, or Noel David should bring out the drinks!

The selection committee deliberations, occupying two whole hours and including a teleconference with Tendulkar and Madan Lal who were in New York en route to Bermuda at the time, picked the 14 to represent India only for the first three games of the tournament - namely, May 14 against New Zealand at Bangalore, May 17 versus Sri Lanka at Bombay, and May 21 versus Pakistan at Madras.

In the event India makes it to the final, BCCI secretary Jagmohan Dalmiya indicated, there could be a further selection exercise for the best of three final.

Dalmiya indicated that Sidhu had not been considered because team physio Ali Irani in a written report urged that the opener be allowed to rest his injured shoulder for a further 10, 12 days at least.

Chairman of selectors Ramakant Desai did not make it to Calcutta for the deliberations on grounds of illness, but took part in the exercise via the telephone.

Dalmiya also indicated that Indian pace ace Javagal Srinath had not been considered because in the opinion of the selectors, it was not worth risking a recurrence of his shoulder injury just for the sake of a one day tournament.

Srinath, who in an official letter to the Board indicated that his shoulder injury had healed, will meanwhile proceed to South Africa later this week for one final consultation with orthopaedic specialist Dr Mark Ferguson, who has been treating him ever since the injury, sustained at Toronto, put him totally hors d'combat at the start of the Caribbean tour.

"Srinath will come back to the national side next season - but first, he has to get the all clear from his doctor," Dalmiya said.

Syed Saba Karim also finds himself out of the team - but this was a given anyway. A touring party, especially when the tour comprises five full Tests, takes along a reserve wicket keeper. However, such a luxury is hardly required for a ODI series on home soil, given that the Indian team can always call up a keeper in the event of injury to Mongia.

Interestingly, Robin Singh, a clear failure on the Caribbean tour, retains his place in the side and will, in all probability, feature in the final eleven.

The Indian team will arrive in New Delhi on the morning of May 12, after a couple of festival games in Bermuda, and play its first match, against New Zealand, two days later.

Follows the 14 member squad: Sachin Tendulkar (captain), Saurav Ganguly, Gagan Khoda, Rahul Dravid, Vinod Kambli, Ajay Jadeja, Robin Singh, Nayan Mongia, Anil Kumble, Sunil Joshi, Noel David, Venkatesh Prasad, Abey Kuruvilla and Dodda Ganesh.