Breaking/Brief news
December 23, 2005
Some radical thinking required
With the tour of Pakistan all set to follow the success against Sri Lanka, the Indian team obviously faces a resurgent Pakistani side. 'Bring em on', screams Inzamam, as he demands wickets with bounce in them.
Obviously this is in order to ensure that the wickets are friendlier to Pakistan's formidable pace attack, more like the one at Lahore than Multan and Rawalpindi, when India toured Pakistan in early 2004.
With news reports hinting that Ganguly might not be picked for the series, I think the Indian team would do well to go into the first test at Lahore with five bowlers, i.e. three quicks and two spinners, if the wicket will help the fast bowlers for a fair duration. Given that none of India's batsmen bowl half-decent part-time seam/swing stuff, since they're all spinners, there would be a need for a third seamer. Oh, and I'm certainly against Tendulkar bowling first change!
Harbhajan and Kumble present a formidable challenge for most batsmen by themselves. In tandem, the danger of being outwitted by one or the other increases. Leaving one of them out could mean a problem when the pitch takes turn on the last couple of days or so. A lower order of Dhoni, Pathan, Agarkar, Harbhajan and Kumble is capable of contributing a few runs a lot of the time, if not every innings. Perhaps more importantly, they score quickly, thus forcing the bowlers on the defensive. I think it is unfortunate on Yuvraj but he should be left out of the first test. Gambhir should play the first test.
A lineup of Sehwag, Gambhir, Dravid, Laxman, Tendulkar (notice I didn't put Tendulkar in at #4), Dhoni, Pathan, Agarkar, Harbhajan, Kumble and Zaheer will be a nice positive way to start the series. This assumes that Zaheer is selected. If he isn't, then whoever the other seamer is should play. Mind you, this is in case the pitch is obviously seamer friendly. If it is a typical subcontinental track with help for the quicks until the umpire calls "Play" at the start of the first day, Yuvraj should come in instead of Zaheer.
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| Is it just me or is anyone else dissapointed on hearing the news that Ganguly might not get picked? :)
By 
Unknown (23 Dec 2005, 7:09:00 pm)
Zainub: I was disappointed when he was left out of the third test squad. I couldn't, for the life of me, figure out why he had been picked [for Madras] in the first place. Given that he performed adequately at Delhi, leaving him out of the side was baffling. Now I wonder on what grounds he would be picked, given he hasn't played any domestic cricket to indicate his form. In case he is picked, then why was he left out for Ahmedabad? But I wouldn't be surprised if he was left out.
By Jagadish (23 Dec 2005, 7:21:00 pm)
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