There was an uncharacteristic sense of unease about chief selector Sandeep Patil in the press conference he gave after the Indian squads had been chosen for the remaining two ODIs and the impending Test series against South Africa.
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Having known Patil for close to 40 years, I’ve not known him to be as much on the defensive as he was in the 30-odd minutes he spent explaining the rationale behind the choices made for the two teams.
Perhaps it had to do with the fact that the changes effected did not quite add up for a press corps that posed some searching questions. Perhaps these changes, which were marginal, reflected the paucity of options (and therefore answers) for Patil.
Or could it be that this time the selectors and the captains were not quite in sync? Remember, India are now following the split captaincy model, with Virat Kohli leading in the Tests while MS Dhoni is in charge for limited overs internationals. As things transpired, it seemed that the wires between the selectors and the two captains may have got crossed.
For the record, Sreenath Arvind – the lanky fast bowler from Karnataka – had replaced Umesh Yadav in the ODI squad. Yadav had gone for plenty in the third ODI against South Africa, which India lost, and he was banished from the team. The decision was unfair in the eyes of some since he is the fastest in the country, and on his day can trouble the best.
Is @harbhajan_singh the perfect spinner for @msdhoni in ODIs? His economy rate seems to suggest so! #INDvSA pic.twitter.com/n2ORBiKfM1
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) October 21, 2015
But India are seeking a win in the ODI series to get primed for the Tests and it can be argued that time is too short to wait for players to find peak form. Replacement Arvind’s left arm fast-medium adds variety to the attack, and he has been in fine wicket-taking form in domestic cricket.
Admittedly Arvind is pushing 32 and is no spring chicken, though he has played very few times for India. He was part of the T20 squad, so in that sense it has been a natural progression. Yet, he had played only the first of match of the T20 series and been dropped.
The fact that Patil and Co struggled to find young fast bowlers to replace Yadav gives an idea about their predicament. Yadav, of course, retains his place in the Test squad but will of course be miffed that he had been given the heave-ho after so few games when others have had a far longer run.
The more difficult to explain was whether this selection was in consonance with MS Dhoni’s demands. After the defeat in the third ODI, the India captain had said that he was concerned about players at numbers 5, 6 and 7, adding that he would like a big striker who could also bowl.
Former captain Sunil Gavaskar advocated the recall of Yuvraj Singh — with one eye on the World T20 Championship in March presumably. Dhoni did not name names, and it was widely speculated whether he agreed with Gavaskar, or was keener to have his Chennai Super Kings and former India team-mate Ravindra Jadeja back.
Jadeja, dropped after the World Cup, had made a wonderful start this domestic season, claiming a whopping 24 wickets in just two matches – as well as making scores of 91 and 58 in the two innings in which he had played.
But Jadeja’s prowess in limited overs cricket has found greater expression in the past, and Dhoni may have been hoping that this would clinch the issue in his favour. Instead, the selectors have chosen him for the Tests, replacing Harbhajan Singh from the squad which toured Sri Lanka.
Incidentally, the veteran off-spinner had won the trust vote for his recall from Kohli. It is unknown what the young Test captain feels about this switch, but Sandeep Patil’s demeanour and words at the press conference indicated that this time the selectors were not to be swayed by suggestions from the team management.
While acknowledging that they had taken inputs from the two captains, Patil made it clear – without saying it in so many words – that they were looking beyond recommendations as well as the 30-odd list of names that hopefuls are usually narrowed down to at the start of a season.
The more quirky selection, of course, was of Ishant Sharma who returns to the Test squad (as does R Ashwin assuming that he recovers from injury) though he cannot play in the first Test, having received a ban for poor behaviour last time out against Sri Lanka.
Ishant had a very good series in Sri Lanka and looked as though he had finally evolved into being the spearhead. His absence will be felt, though the Indian team will surely be pinning its hopes on the spinners – with instructions to curators to prepare wickets accordingly.
That may not necessarily be the decisive factor if the past few series played in India are any indication. While Australia were routed 4-0 in 2013 (the last full series played at home) it is pertinent to remember that just a little earlier, Alastair Cook’s England side had sensationally trumped India 2-1.
The old stereotype of visiting batsmen struggling on slow (or rank) turners just doesn’t hold true. Most overseas batsmen already have experience of Indian pitches and conditions through playing in the IPL. Australia suffered in 2013 for reasons that went beyond just calibre; internecine problems in the dressing room were more likely to blame.
Moreover, visiting teams come armed with their own specialist slow bowlers (Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar for England, Imran Tahir for South Africa now) to put pressure on Indian batsmen. And, as recent performances have shown, Indian batsmen too are vulnerable against quality spin bowling.
Against a strong side like South Africa, the issue boils down to finding the right combination and players hitting peak form at the right time. In both these aspects, India seem to be on the backfoot currently.
