Always trust the Indian cricket selectors to make jokers of themselves. And of course always trust the Indian cricket board to make a mockery of itself too. The great ‘Indian world cup tamasha’ is complete.

So now the board wants us to believe that it is serious about the future of Indian cricket. Is that how the board justifies the limits on endorsements and its perpetual whip on the team’s seniors alongwith indirect hints to the selectors to roll a few heads? Is it that the beaureaucracy that has so wickedly crept into the administration of the game, now finding its way into the playgrounds too? It all lay in the hands of the selectors. And inspite of realizing the thin line they were treading, the selectors chose to trip themselves, rather than balance their steps.

Indian cricket steps into a new phase with the tour to Bangladesh. Yes a new phase, one with possibly less experimentation and more results. A phase where success will be achieved and not just promised. And this ought to have reflected from the ODI and the test squads which were selected for the upcoming tour. A sense of sensibility and stability needed to be infused into the currently fragile Indian cricket team. Let me assure you, it was everything but that.

So without much ado, let’s take a look at the two teams chosen for the Bangladesh tour:

ODI squad - Gautam Gambhir, Robin Uthappa, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid (capt), Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk), Dinesh Karthik, Manoj Tiwary, Dinesh Mongia, Piyush Chawla, Sreesanth, Munaf Patel, Zaheer Khan, RP Singh.

Test squad - Wasim Jaffer, Dinesh Karthik, Rahul Dravid (capt), VVS Laxman, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk), Anil Kumble, Sreesanth, Zaheer Khan, VRV Singh, Ramesh Powar, Rajesh Pawar, Munaf Patel.

On any other day, the omission of Tendulkar from the ODI team ought to have made front page news. It probably did too in a few newspapers. But why it is not worrying for all the Tendulkar fans out there because you ought to look at it in an objective manner. The Bangladesh tour is after all a Bangaldesh tour. Yes we lost to them in the world cup, maybe because of that very same approach, but again what better place to test the new blood knocking on the doors of the Indian team. If not now, then do we test them against England in England or in the 20-20 world cup in South Africa or against Pakistan or Australia later in the year? Sterner tests lie ahead (we play 45 ODIs this season, 45!) and there could be no better time to blood these youngsters.

Sachin and Sourav will still make it back for the England tour though. Because in the words of the chief selector himself, Dilip Vengsarkar, they have been rested. And going by the mighty opposition India will be facing in the latter part of the year, do we really want to burn out two most experienced players in the beginning itself. Obviously given a choice they probably would like to play as both are known the world over for their doggedness, but it is about time that they are not given the power to make that decision. It is going to be tougher for Ganguly than for Tendulkar for obvious reasons and that makes the tests in Bangladesh all the more interesting.

What is also interesting is that inspite of so many years in the squad of fifteen for the tests, Yuvraj will still struggle to find a place in the starting eleven for the first test. Isn’t it time that the brightest talent is given his due in the test arena so that he can establish his talent’s supremacy? He is the pillar around which the future team has to be built and they better start it now. But that’s not the only cause of worry for the test squad.

Could some one please explain what Dinesh Karthik is doing in the test team as an opener? Is Gautam Gambhir an option for the ODIs and not for the tests? Why is he not even considered as a long term prospect to the test opener’s slot and Karthik chosen on the basis of one innings? Are there no more openers available? And is Virender Sehwag not a decent opener in tests? If there was one selection Sehwag ought to have been assured about, it should have been the test team for this upcoming tour. Because simply put, his test form has been better than his ODI form. But he is in the ODI squad, which makes this decision all the more baffling. Yes he scored a ton against Bermuda and some useful runs against the Lankans too, but if Sachin and Sourav are axed (oops rested), the Sehwag must too. But if this was the only anomaly, one would understand. But there is more.

What on earth could explain Dinesh Mongia’s inclusion in the ODI squad? If Vengsarkar had told us that he is quite experienced in the 20-20 version and he is a contender for the world cup team, thus he has been selected for getting valuable international exposure, we might have believed him. Might have, as that too is quite a lame reason. But what we get is that the team required a left hander to cope with the left arm Bangldeshi spinners who wreaked havoc in the world cup. But then again, who better than Sourav Ganguly to do that? All the more reason to treat their omissions with suspicion.

It doesn’t end here. Manoj Tiwari has accumulated runs in the Ranji trophy at a Bradmanisque average this past season. But isn’t that the longer version of the game? If so, what is he doing in the ODI squad? Again with the youth policy being adopted, why is Irfan Pathan out? Is he not good enough to be given a fresh start? If yes, then why is he not part of the team? If no, then why was he part of the world cup team? And what about Suresh Raina and furthermore, Mohammed Kaif? Ok, maybe Raina does need some time in the domestic circuit, but can’t we give any more chances to Kaif, for all the chances given to Sehwag? Why isn’t Agarkar part of the ODI squad as after Zaheer, he is the most prolific Indian bowler in the past season? And could some one explain what the hell is RP Singh doing in the team?

Since this was a long list of who were unlucky to miss out, we ought to take a peek at the ones making the cut. We have already discussed Manoj Tiwari, the squeeze for the test places probably forcing the selectors to pick him for the ODIs. Piyush Chawla and Romesh Powar being given a decent shot in Bhajji’s absence, which it seems, might be a long one as the Ranji season doesn’t start till October. In the test squad, VVS Laxman is back but for how long remains to be seen as Yuvraj and Ganguly make up the trio contending for two batting positions. Rajesh Pawar will be the spinner in tests with Kumble and thus might actually be helpful for him.

All in all, the new selections are satisfactory, it’s the goof up with the current players that has put the selectors in the line of fire again. Throw in the policing by the BCCI, no wonder, the selectors seem to have shot themselves in the foot.

Via: Cricinfo