III ODI Team selection.With the return of Gambhir and the prediction of a flat Premadasa wicket,the issue that is engaging the Indian team think tank in Sri Lanka is whom to leave out of the team.
If you look at the team balance it should either be Rohit on account of bad form or Badrinath as he cannot be 'fitted' into the team if Rohit stays.
However, the Indian team think tank may do neither and take the conservative option and look to drop either Irfan or Munaf.
If one has to choose between them, then dropping Irfan is the better option. His bowling is not up to the scratch and his quota can easily be completed by Yuvraj or Raina or by a combination of both.Obviously, the only plus which may stave off the axe falling on his neck is his batting. That too becomes superfluous when we have both Rohit and Badrinath in the team.
Another point which favours Munaf is his splendid bowling form. One gets the impression from yesterday's news reports that Munaf is getting appreciable pace and bounce and troubled those who played him in the nets.
It is also well known that Munaf is the type of bowler Dhoni prefers, as he sticks to the basics and does not experiment too much.
So between Irfan and Munaf it has to be Irfan.Nonetheless,dropping Irfan may hamper India as his bit and pieces act - a wicket or a couple of fours may aid India.
With this in mind,one feels the correct decision would be drop Badrinath. Granted he did a great job and showed form and temperament, but since he came as a replacement for the injured Gambhir and now that he (Gambhir) is fit he should be dropped. Also it is a trifle early to drop Rohit on account of bad form.
Keen followers of Indian cricket will doubtless remember how at the start of the last Australian tour, Yuvraj was included in the Tests on the basis of a fine century. It would also be good to remember what happened then, Dravid was pushed up to accommodate him, the team balance went for six, Yuvraj never looked the part and Dravid has been floundering ever since.
Since one dislikes to see history repeating itself and affect both the Indian team and Badrinath in the bargain, the ideal selection decision would be to drop Badrinath.
(Image from vernhart)
Technorati Tags Sri,Lanka,ODI,Badrinath
4 comments:
On current form Rohit shd be dropped.But given the ways of our captains I wont be surprised if Kohli or Badri get dropped. Praveen has the knack of getting wickets though he looks innocuous.since it is a batting track Pathan may stay back giving Munaf a rest. In the mean time lets wait for injury list.
R,
Ah! The injury list - I clean forgot. That may well decide who is to be included.
On a side note - Badri has been made the captain of India A - does that mean he does not get selected to the ODI if the Champions trophy gets held? And Kohli is not in that India A list...
RS,
I am not certain, but he was never in the list of 15 for the Champions Trophy.
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