The Indians have announced their squad for the first two Tests of the series against South Africa. Unlike the last time when they made some bold changes to the ODI team, this time the selectors decided to stick with the tried and tested. Though nothing different was expected, three players could consider themselves unlucky.
Gautam Gambhir - After an exceptional outing in the Twenty20 world cup and an outstanding run in the recent CB series, he is knocking on the doors of Test cricket. More than the amount of runs, the way he has scored them is impressive. He has a good technique, handles both pace and spin with aplomb, and seems an ideal fit at number three.
But, with two strong contenders for the number three spot - Dravid and Laxman - already in the team, he has to miss out. Another option might be to pick him as an opener; but, there again Sehwag is in good form and though Jaffer did not fare as well in Australia, it's just wrong to drop him after just one mediocre series, especially considering the valuable contributions he made all through 2007. It's just truly unfortunate for Gambhir that he cannot make it to the team when in such a good form!
Yuvraj Singh - Though he has been included in the squad of 14, realistically, he stands no chance of breaking in to the playing XI barring injuries. Agreed, he failed to use his opportunity in Australia to seal a place in the side, but one more chance for such a talented player is not such a bad idea. If the selectors really believe that he is the future of Indian batting, then he needs to be picked more regularly in the team now - when he has a chance to flourish without the burden of pressure - than later.
But, the question is who does he replace? I think Tendulkar could have been rested for this series. Obviously not because of lack of form, but because he truly needs to rest. As much as I would love to see Tendulkar bat in every match, I would rather see him take some deserved breaks in an effort to prolong his career. While he is too important a player to be rested for an away series this could have been the perfect opportunity to give him a break.
Dinesh Karthik - Well, he has not done anything spectacular to present his case, but he hasn't done anything wrong either. After losing his place as a wicket-keeper to Dhoni a couple of years ago, he forced his way back in to the team as a specialist middle-order batsman and adjusted reasonably well as an opener. After a mediocre series against Pakistan and not making it to the playing XI in Australia, he now finds himself being cast away! If Yuvraj deserves a place after his debacle in Australia, then Karthik too deserves another chance.
With Sehwag back in form, it is that much difficult for Karthik to get back as an opener. So, what should he do now? Should he go back and try to work his way in as a middle-order batsman or should he continue to hope for a spot as an opener? Will he work his way back in the team or just fade away like those other short-term openers like Sanjay Bangar, Sadagopan Ramesh, SS Das and Akash Chopra? Only time will tell.
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