Dravid is back in the India ODI squad replacing the injured Sehwag for the tri-series in Sri Lanka and the Champions Trophy to be played in September. But, why?
When Dravid was dropped from the ODI squad two years ago, it wasn’t just because of his poor form. It was also because, then at 34, he (along with Ganguly) was considered a misfit in the youthful team - with an emphasis on fielding and running between the wickets - for the future that the captain and selectors envisioned. Now, two years later I can’t see how he could have turned younger, unless the captain/selectors have doubts about their youth policy.
The Indian batting in the last couple of years has had the right balance of youth (Raina, Rohit, Gambhir) and experience (Sachin, Sehwag, Yuvraj) and has had some remarkable success. Despite the recent loss at the T20 World Cup and Rohit’s poor performance, I don’t see any reason to panic and abandon the youth policy and fallback on experience. Sehwag’s injury should have provided an opening to another aspiring youngster waiting for his turn (Badrinath/Vijay/Kohli/Pujara?) and not Dravid. In the short term, Dravid’s selection has added some balance to the team, but it certainly doesn’t bode well for the future. I mean, when Sehwag is fit and available, who would he replace?
Or, maybe this selection of Dravid in the team is just a one off replacement for Sehwag, providing him the opportunity to sign off from ODIs on his own terms? I certainly don’t have any problems with that.