The big selection question on this tour of England will be whether to play five batsmen or six. Despite Rahul Dravid's frequently expressed desire to play five bowlers, given his bowling resources on this tour and the need to have runs on the board, he'll go with six batsmen. Karthik, Dravid and Tendulkar are certainties. On the evidence of the Bangladesh tour, Ganguly has his place in the team nailed down and the chances are that Wasim Jaffer will keep his place as a specialist opener.
The sixth spot, in recent times, has been a toss-up between VVS Laxman and Yuvraj Singh. I hope Laxman's 95 against Sussex wins him the nod, though given his luck with selectors there's no telling. Dravid played Yuvraj ahead of Laxman in the second and third Tests the last time we played England, at home. This time round, given Dravid's early endorsement, Laxman's prospects look better.
But it doesn't have to be an either/or choice between the two. If Dhoni's poor form with the bat persists into the first Test at Lord's, Dravid might want to review the luxury of carrying two wicketkeepers in his batting card. In which case, for the second Test, Dhoni could make way for Yuvraj batting at seven.
I don't think Yuvraj has the technique to claim a place in the top six of our Test team, leave alone the top five (against England in the drawn series he batted, astonishingly enough, at five) but coming in five wickets down, with (hopefully) a substantial total to build on, he could do real damage in quick time with the tail.
Dravid, always keen to play five bowlers, would have the minor bonus of half an extra bowler: Yuvraj's left arm slows would add some variety to the Indian 'attack'. This way Dravid could have Yuvraj's electric heels at point and the reassurance of Laxman's safe hands in the slips.
Gambhir's quick eighty puts him in contention should Jaffer fail in the first Test. I hope it doesn't come to that because despite his inconsistency and his maddening habit of scoring a hundred and doing nothing for the next half-a-dozen innings, Jaffer looks a Test batsman and Gambhir doesn't. Gambhir looks like a cut-rate Kambli: all flash and firm-footed flourish.
So, for the first Test: Karthik, Jaffer, Dravid, Tendulkar, Ganguly, Laxman, Dhoni, Zaheer, Sreesanth, Kumble and RP Singh. This is the team that I think will be picked: but if Dravid wants extra batting oomph, a bowling option and the team's best outfielder, he'll pick Yuvraj over Dhoni and make Karthik open and keep wickets.
Historically, Indian keepers have managed both jobs well: think of Faroukh Engineer, Budhi Kunderan, and, more recently, Nayan Mongia. It would be wonderful if Dravid went further and chose another spinner over RP Singh, and he has indicated that one spinner or two will depend on the pitch, but my guess is that for the first Test of an English tour, his instinct will be to go with three seamers.
In the end, though, we need to play to our strengths, and realistically, we have just one: batting. If the skipper plays as well as he did the last time India toured England, and the rest of them just reproduce their career averages, we should win. That isn't wishfulness, you know, just sensible, temperate hope.
don't you guys think that Dhoni is a good Medium-Pacer and Kaarthick is a good wicket-keeper. so why not add dhoni as a fifth bowler?
Posted by: Suds on 07/09/2007
England always proved to be a bit better than places like Austarlia and SouthAfrica for our batsmen.the big three have a great record there and if the captain does what he did last time and the other two do what is expected of them then India will come out as winners which I think will definitely boost the credentials of the sport in the country.
Posted by: Dinesh on 07/09/2007
Don't you think tat jaffer should make way for yuvraj and kartik and dravid should open
Posted by: Anil Bhimjiyani on 07/09/2007
In my opinion,India should use Karthik as wicket keeper and play Yuvraj over Dhoni AND should play 5 bowlers.Look at the West Indies tour.The West Indies had REALLY ONLY ONE top class batsman,Chandrapaul and they did not too badly.India has 5 World Class Batsmen.
Posted by: vishnu on 07/09/2007
Laxman should certainly get the nod. Yuvi isnt effective in tests. anyway long time no see
Posted by: Aditya on 07/09/2007
I think India's selection policies have always been biased against Laxman. It's pathetic that a batsman of his calibre has to get an "endorsement" from the captain in order to be sure of his place in the team. By dropping him consistently, the selectors have succeeded in curbing his natural strokeplaying ability, and as a result he has turned into a defensive player. The Indian panel of selectors are a complete bunch of idiots with short memories. Meanwhile, the Indian team management seems to make all its decisions in a proverbial smoke-filled room with a surreptitiousness that is sure to break the confidence of a player by sending him the wrong messages. A fair and open selection policy is vital to ensure better performance in Indian cricket.
Posted by: Kaushik on 07/09/2007
The team looks good ... at least on paper ... and this being most certainly the last English tour of the Big 5 (Sacin, Sourav, Dravid, Laxman & Kumble) - we can hope to win!
Posted by: Ravi K on 07/09/2007
I think all India needs 2 spinners.It has been our strength.But unfortumately we prefer the seamers who cannot bowl well with the old ball.I still feel it is going to be difficult to beat England in these conditions.We may get a couple of flambyonant innings but not the series.
Posted by: Mohit Suryawanshi on 07/09/2007
One of your comments about Yuvraj made me wonder whether you have played cricket at any level. Even tyro cricketers know that the number 7 batsman comes in at 5 wickets down, NOT at 6 wickets down as you have stated!
Posted by: veeess on 07/09/2007
Looking at the present composition of the team,it would be better to play six batsmen as runs on board will be crucial.None of the bowlers of the team can be wholly depended upon for their bowling merit.Similarly, we can not be certain that Jaffer and Tendulker would be sure shot run scorers.I would prefer V V S Laxman as a sixth batsmen over Yuvraj.In my view V V S L is a better committed player than Yufraj.
Posted by: ab on 07/09/2007
If Freddie flintoff comes back for the series indial will lose 2-0 otherwise 1-0.
The only star for India will be Laxman that is if India realize thier mistake of what dropping him means.
Posted by: Yet Another Cricket Buff on 07/09/2007
You've got the team right. But for me, selection of Laxman is above Ganguly. Technique wise both Ganguly and Yuvraj fair poorly but Ganguly does have the advantage of bowling his slow seamers on english wickets which might open up the possibilities of another genuine spinner
Posted by: Shri on 07/09/2007
Hi,
I would like to see Gambhir over Jaffer. Gambhir looks more positive batsmen needing to be given more opportunity to be a Test player and more promising he will be in the longer term than the tentative counter part Jaffer who is a big gamble, scores either a big hundred or nothing.Bowling department looks decent I would revisit Dhoni's position after 1st Test.
Posted by: neer on 07/09/2007
To doubt Yuvraj's technique and ability is not fair at all.He has scored runs in Australia, England, South Africa, NewZealand,West Indies. If a batsman's technique is not good enough, he will never be able to score runs in these country's pitches. I don't know what does a batsman need to do to get a place in a test side.I can't even count the number of matches that Yuvraj has won for India single handedly.He has already scored two centuries in the tests as well. He has been given too few opportunities to prove his worth.He has been only given bits and pieces of chances.A one test here and dropped,two tests there and dropped. So I believe if he is given an extended run of tests, he will show everybody whether he is a top six or a number one batsman
Posted by: eswaran on 07/09/2007
Indias batting looks week to me, forget England, wait till they get down under at years end. Ganguly is just not good enough to be playing for IND and batting at 5. There is no way two keepers should be playing, play either Dhonni or Karthik, but dont play both. It is also time to move past Kumble, he is too old and will just not retire gracefully (that could aplly to a few others in this team as well). The fact that India does not have the best spinner of the two teams is a sad indication of the dearth of spinners in IND. India only have a few world class players , I would rate amongst these Dravid, Tendulkar and Laxman. How Laxman was not selected for the Bang series leaves me stupefied.I have great doubts over Jaffer, Karthik, Ganguly and their ability to fend of a half decent Harmison. Yuvraj is a man of talent and should be playing instead of Ganguly
Posted by: A. Maharajan on 07/09/2007
If Yuvi selected over Dhoni, who will open the innings with Jaffer, defenitely not Kaarthick. Bcoz, for example If England is Batting in the first innings, it is possible a keeper can immediately open the innings for India. I dont think Dravid will not make that mistake.
Posted by: JP on 07/09/2007
Yes, much injustice has been done to Laxman in the past and I hope at least now he will be given the chance he deserves. I think he should get in over Yuvraj. Jaffer is always capable of producing match-winning innings, though he doesn't always deliver, and for this I would back him over the flashier Gambhir. Karthik looks a sure pick and a very safe one at that. Sachin should carry on his good form of the last couple months--332 runs in only 3 tests this year (and 550-odd runs in ODIs) set him up well for the tour ahead. Dravid still has to deliver a powerful match-winning performance as captain, though he will always score runs. Ganguly--I don't know, but there can't be any harm in retaining him since he also offers a valuable bowling option in English conditions. Dhoni shouldn't be dropped, as he is very useful down the order, biffing the ball around at the end to demoralize the opposition. Kumble, Zaheer, RP Singh and Sreesanth should be able to handle the bowling. All the best to Team India!
Posted by: Pramod on 07/09/2007
The writer is as flawed as our Selectors in putting Jaffer ahead of Ghambir. If Ghambir scores more runs it should be Ghambhir no matter how fantastic Jaffers technique is. It should be perform or perish as it is in the Australian team.
Posted by: Rajan Chakravarty on 07/09/2007
The five-bolwer experiment, we all know, was going to be limited to an opposition like Bangladesh. Against better quality opposition, India is always going to play six specialist batsmen, plus a keeper who can bat. Which is why the experiment made such little sense. I think a four-member bowling attack should have been used against Bangladesh as well, for it is important for them to get used to the idea that between the four of them, they will have to pick 20 wickets.
Yesterday, Dravid all but confirmed VVS Laxman is going to play in the first Test at Lord's. I think it is rather unfortunate that in recent times VVS has had to compete with Yuvraj Singh for the last middle order position. Personally I think, after Tendulkar and Dravid, VVS is India's best Test batsman, and should get into the side ahead of even Sourav Ganguly. And on his day (we have seen a few of those days, particularly against his favourite opposition, Australia), he is as good as either of them.
During the last two tours, Dravid, Tendulkar and Ganguly have scored heavily against the English. This time if Laxman joins the party, the English may not find the going very easy.
I think the key to this series will be how well the Indian seamers bowl. If Zaheer Khan, Sreesanth, and Ranadeb Bose get stuck into the English batsmen, it could well be an Indian summer in England this year.
Posted by: vinod on 07/09/2007
it is all fine to support laxman but i think u r a lil too harsh on yuvraj.... yuvraj despite his shortcomings is an excellent batsmen and is one for the future.... show me one batsman who is going to play tests and onedays for the next 6 years or so..... laxman is a wonderful batsman agreed... but it is only now that u can groom players for the future.... as it is it is going to be an exodus of players and quite a few new faces will be needed in abt 2 yrs time.... there has to be atleast one player who can guide the youngsters..... yuvraj singh wud fit into that role perfectly
Posted by: indian on 07/09/2007
I am sure India is going to win both the test and ODI series this time.In tests VVS should play and India should to go with 2 spinners and 2 seamers. IF Yuvraj plays, he should come in place of MS Dhoni.
Posted by: mahesh on 07/09/2007
Karthick,Dravid,Laxman,Sachin,Ganguly,Yuvraj,Dhoni, Kumble, RP singh, Sreesanth, Z Khan
Posted by: rohit on 07/09/2007
i dont really agree with yuvraj over dhoni...personally i think karthick is a much better outfielder thn yuvraj...we wud lose him as a fielder...also yuvraj as a bowling option dosent strike me as too much on english soil...and honestly...yuvraj isnt in great batting form either...he may have hit a few runs...but boy were they lucky runs...dhoni can provide tht same oomph factor u mentioned...laxman over yuvraj is a better fight...we have enough 'slippers'...sachin david sourav...we ned a man at point(yuvraj) and one at cover(karthick)...i dont see laxmans formm lasting too long...
Posted by: Narayan B Menon on 07/09/2007
Mukul, I find your confidence in Karthik as an opener rather hasty (like our selectors).Leaving aside his century against Bangladesh , where he was dropped early at slip and also given not out when he edged a ball to the wicket keeper, he has had one innings agaist South Africa where he scored a creditable fifty though not without playing and missing quite a few times.I think he is the wrong choice as opener and Gambhir should open.I also think that Karthik is a superior wicketkeeper to Dhoni and with Dhoni yet to make a subtantial score in tests overseas, I think he should be dropped as wicketkeeper and karthik should keep.
Posted by: Aju on 07/09/2007
Mukul, I feel that the Yuvraj-Laxman dilemma isn't as easily solved as you have indicated. Given the requirements of the team, Yuvraj has as much of a claim on the batting spot as Laxman. Not only his record in ODIs over the past couple of years, but the way in which he has scored those runs in demanding contexts, means that he has a strong call. Laxman, the more proven performer in Tests has greater weight. However, given that we are probably looking for someone who can come at number six, consolidate as well as shift gears, and bat with the tail, Yuvraj has a good case. Remember that Laxman's game isn't as silken as it used to be. Shifting the gearms might not be that easy for a player who hasn't had the kind of exposure to modern one-day cricket as Yuvraj has. If Andrew Symonds can break into the Aussie Test squad and make himself valuable, well so can Yuvraj!
Posted by: Dinesh on 07/09/2007
Drop yuvraj and pick laxman. Yuvraj cannot play spin and in seaming conditions who knows how he will bat. Dont forget monty panesar is not ashley giles. He is as good as the seam bowlers.
Posted by: Ramesh on 07/09/2007
I think Dravid will play it safe - which means 6 batsman, a specialist keeper, and 4 bowlers. In fact, exactly the same team mentioned by Mukul. No point getting "half" a bowler more when we have two "halves" already - Sachin and Saurav. And we are better off with Laxman for the simple reason that he is likely to handle Monty better - even granting that somehow Laxman's prowess against the ball turning away has reduced in recent times. I somehow feel Ganguly is going to come good - for all his scratchiness in the one dayers against SA.
Posted by: Narayan Shankar on 07/09/2007
Good analysis. As John Wright said, VVS Laxman and Mohd Kaif were always one failure away from being dropped. Wonder Why.
Posted by: srinivasan on 07/09/2007
Freddie Flintoff isnt a God of England cricket. He hasnt done anything impressive against India when he played. India having world class players in the form of Little master, Rock, Daada and the stylish Batsman VVS are going to blow away England. Droping Dhoni and giving a slot to Yuvi would be a wise move and would add depth to the batting. Sachin, Yuvi and Daada would make the 5th bowler slot filled.
Posted by: ISWARA on 07/09/2007
Whatever may the combination the team should play well and do their homework properly. Rest God decidies.
Posted by: rahul on 07/09/2007
dropping LAXMAN is a big CRIME,if they do so Indian selectors r the biggest criminals...I think India should play with 5 bowlers,with karthik behind the stumps.batting order should be JAFFER,KARTHIK,DRAVID, TENDULKAR, LAXMAN AND SOURAV......
Posted by: Ashis on 07/09/2007
I was at Hove on Saturday. Kartik played very well once he got settled in. Gambhir does not have the technique to survive fierce new ball spells from the likes of Harmison and co. Jaffer should be retained even though he failed. Laxman must play at Lord's ahead of Yuvraj.
Posted by: mark on 07/09/2007
India needs to play 5 bowlers in the test series. Four bowlers definately won't get the job done for us. Drop Dhoni and play Karthik as the keeper. AS for the no. 6 spot, Laxman is a much better player than yuvraj will ever be. He is such a mediocre and inconsistant player, who's can never be relied apon. The only thing he brings apart from a truckload of cricketing immaturity is decent feilding in a team of woeful athletes
Posted by: The Commentator on 07/09/2007
I agreee with your article, but on looking at it of the 11, 6 of them will not be available for the next tour. From a long term perspective atleast I would select Yuvraj either over Dhoni or Ganguly!
Posted by: deepak on 07/09/2007
My best possible top 7 be, (based on recent form against good attacks and future promise)
Karthik,jaffer,dravid,10dulkar,Yuvraj,Laxman,Ganguly.....let me clarify first up that I am not anti ganguly, My firm believe (and this is personal) is that playing ganguly in top 6 would be a disservice to the promise of Yuvi as he had shown wnough in recent past that he has it in him called the TICKER, which makes him pretty dangerous if he gets in....ganguly is past his sell off date and in england i will pick him up but he gets to bat 7 as by then even the second new ball is taken nrmally and then he can do some damage with his big hitting, and in english conditions he can roll his arm over if needed with his little dibbly dobblies if its swinging a bit....
The only case for ganguly to bat in top 5 will be when Monty for example is playing shit loads of tricks and causing some troubles for the other batters, then Ganguly is needed to handle him.
Laxman shud stay at 6th as he can handle a sudden collapse far better then all others and stitch a good partnership in times of need with one of the other top 5,
Sreesanth, Zaheer, Kumble and Powar are the other 4 needed.....
Moreover say if injury happens to karthik, then Gambir gets a look in and Ganguly sits out with dhoni back at 7......and one thing is clear to me , Ganguly is still a surity when it comes to one dayers ;)
Posted by: Dev on 07/09/2007
The problem can be solved if Laxman agrees to open for the time being (i.e. till an opening is created in the middle). Then, Yuvraj can be at No.6. Kartik, sadly, will have to bide for his time, as of now. But people like Laxman and Ganguly want to play only in the middle order, preferably No. 3, but not No. 1/2. Langer, Boon, Marsh, Sehwag etc. reinvented themselves when they took up opening. They took it up, not out of choice but to protect their place in the side.
Posted by: sahil khan on 07/09/2007
Dhoni should be dropped according to me, Yuvraj is a much better batsmen than Dhoni, if Yuvraj is the future of Indian cricket, he needs to have a consistent place in both formats, Dhoni is to unpredictable and when the ball is talking a bit, he is not always the most confident batsmen out there. Karthik is better suited for test cricket.
Posted by: GuruPrasad on 07/09/2007
I think we missed a trick or two by not picking Harbhajan singh who is a world class off spinner who is playing county cricket now and picking wicktets.Dont forget he has always bowled well with kumbl eat the other end. I dont think he is dropped for cricketing reasons.
Posted by: shyam on 07/09/2007
Mr. Kesavan, your team pick for the 1st test looks bang on! Has the makings of an interesting series, let's hope for some great cricket. Considering the future of Indian Cricket, I think it is time the selector's make a few hard choices on the famed middle order. Dravid, Tendulkar, Ganguly, Laxman might be the best for the present, but we need to give some of other younger boys some valuable experience. Depending on the scoreline of the series, can the selector's be gutsy enough to rotate the middle order for the sake of the Indian Cricket's future? Worth a shot!
P.S. Dinesh Karthik is truly a breath of fresh air, an awesome team player, this guy can bat at any given situation, techinically in the mould of dravid, agile fielder, a keeper par excellence and above all a smart cricketer. The future looks surprisingly not so bad, we need to discover more potential like him. Well done selectors for the find and keeping him.
Posted by: P.M.Sridharan on 07/09/2007
It looks Dravid may opt for Yuvraj in place of Dhoni and retain Gambhir over Jaffer.Perhaps the second match against Lions will throw open the best possible eleven for the first test.However, Dravid compliments to Laxman comes late after Laxman has scored 95 but not before when Laxman was not considered for any test match in Bangla Desh. The fact remains that the most deeserving do not get enough chances yet we carry with players who have popularity tag and have the element of bias with the selectors.
Posted by: dedalus on 07/09/2007
Laxman's 95 against Sussex should win him the nod? Eh what? The man doesn't do much in South Africa but one 95 against Sussex is good enough to win him selection ahead of Yuvraj!! Good god man, you deserve to be in the Indian selection panel, haha.
Posted by: Sushobhan Chowdhury on 07/09/2007
I think besides the captain the next batsman to be chosen should be VVS; he has generally got a raw deal from the selectors.
Posted by: Rahul on 07/09/2007
Drop Dhoni? That's madness! He's the only guy in the squad whose capable of taking the opposition on! And Mr Kesavan, "coming in 6 wickets down" would put Yuvraj at number 8. 4 wickets down and he would be batting at number 6. I've read a handful of your posts and it seems like you know nothing about cricket.
Posted by: Roshan on 07/09/2007
In B'desh laxman lost his place , even after his good performance in west Indies & S. Africa. coming at no. 5 or 6 his contribution of 71 to 80S always gave us winning results. B'coz of Bad selection politics he lost his place to ganguly, still i remember b'coz of ganguly only we kiked out of world cup,still surprised to me how he is getting place in the team. I am sure he can play good only agt ireland , B'desh, kenya. Agst S.A he was dropped at 0 by kallis & out for13,in 2nd match only 42, in 3rd on day again easy dropped by kallia at 0 & out for 18.
so my request to selection co. please don't drop laxman even if scores o at lords.
Posted by: Subramani on 07/09/2007
If July and August are drier than at present, this susceptibility against the moving ball may not be as crucial as is being feared. In which case Jaffer with his big innings temperament may be quite effective.The same is the case with Yuvraj who has his bowling skills to go with his undoubted fielding, big hitting and shepherding of the lower order capabilities. Dhoni despite his undoubted courage may find it difficult in England unless he gets used to playing late much in the manner of the West Indian batsmen in the ODIs. I would therefore keep him as an option for the second Test. My team
would thenbeJaffer,Kartik,Dravid,Tendulkar,Ganguly,Laxman,YuvrajZaheer Khan,Kumble,Sreesanth and R P Singh.
Posted by: Pramod Reddy on 07/09/2007
Recently a list of ten greatest Indian test victories was posted on Rediff. I understand that they are subjective; nevertheless there are atleast sound arguments to be made. Guess who has played an important role in the most number of those victories: V.V.S. Laxman. Even the great Gavaskar was involved in only two! Dravid has three too. 2001 Calcutta was a great one, with Laxman (in batting) spearheading and Dravid in supporting role. Adelaide (2004) was a great one too (with Dravid spearheading) and Laxman in supporting role. Now take our most recent test victory in South Africa (a place where we had never won a test). Laxman's 73 was instrumental in putting up a decent score. Now take the Mumbai test, when Aussies toured India last, the one that got over in a little over two days. Laxman top scored with a 69 in the second on an unplayable wicket. It is just amazing that this wonderful cricketer is overlooked so many times by the selectors. If anything stands for the partisanship and ineptness of the Indian selectors, the treatment of Laxman should stand out as one of the top ones. Shame on the Indian selectors for having treated this wonderful player the way they have; and shame on us, Indian cricket fans, for not airing our views and our sense of fairness, on his behalf.
Posted by: Pulikuttan on 07/09/2007
Sme people want to drop kaarthick, for the only reason that dhoni is a beter keeeper than him. it is almost like being a wicket keeper is a bad thing.. if he is a beter batsmen than someone else there is no fault in playing him
Posted by: KALYAN on 07/09/2007
I saw some comments on Ganguly's ability...I think he was top scorer in recent South africa series...I see people here forgot so easily.
Posted by: rajnarayanan on 07/09/2007
It is high time that we drop Tendulkar and Ganguly. The 100s scored by Tendulkar against Bangladesh is the lousiest u could ever see. He was not able to dominate a thrid rate attack. The manner in which the Sri Lankans demolished Bangladesh it is a shame that we were not able to win with convivtion. Bring in new blood. Groom youngsters who are really technically good palyers. Not just flash in the pan stuff.
Posted by: pasupathi on 07/09/2007
yes, as aditya said.laxman already proved against austrailia in australia in both forms of cricket. talking about latest, last january india won the first test against southafrica only because of laxman & zaheerkhan partnership.this is too bad to get captain's endorsement for him.yuvraj singh can not even stand before laxman's ability.
Posted by: raj k silwal on 07/09/2007
i think dinesh karthik should be played instead of mr.dhoni in test cricket ,and yuvraj instead of great laxman ,but i miss irfan pathan ,hope he will be certainly world no 1 baller after some month,all the best for team india
Posted by: Vinod. M on 07/09/2007
Indians play well in England & our strength is only in Batting, so it is always better to go with just 4 specialist bowlers in Zaheer, Sreeshanth,Kumble & Piyush. Sachin Saurav can support them. Jaffer stats syas he plays good only in his 5th innings so why have him in the team at all
Posted by: Neil on 07/09/2007
India should think about the future - Dravid, Tendulker, Ganguly are all 34, Laxman 32. We should phase them out of the team in stages to allow our younger players like Yuvraj & Suresh Raina to gain experience before they are expected to become the senior batsmen in years to come
Start with the least sucessful batsmen of the quartet - Ganguly in terms of average and class. Drop him for Yuvraj. After the series against Pakistan and Australia, we should then look to phase out Laxman.
Tendulker & Dravid could potentially play for another 2-3 years
Posted by: Aruni Mukherjee on 07/09/2007
I think making Karthik open and keep wickets is a good idea- it prevents us having to carry two specialist wicket-keepers at the expense of a batsman and bit-bowler. Dravid, Tendulkar, Ganguly, Laxman and Yuvaraj would form a formiddable middle order. Let us not underestimate the English bowling, as Harmison, Hoggard and Panesar are all competent bowlers. As far as our bowling is concerned, I think one of the best options is left at home- Ajit Agarkar.
Posted by: Sandeep Tambe on 07/09/2007
More or less the same team will play.I would prefer Yuvraj Singh over Mahendra singh Dhoni in the playing eleven.In the recent past Dhoni has not performed as per his potential and it's testing time for him in these seaming conditions.Another option is including Gambhir in place of Wasim Jafer.
Posted by: Sri on 07/09/2007
karthik has shown the willingness to adapt to situations and brings in a breath of fresh thinking with him. I would love to see laxman bat up the order may be no.4 and sachin @5.Yuvi has age on his side, he can wait. lets enjoy the legends in vvs,dravid,sachin,sourav. I m sure you will not see them all again playing together at this level in a year's time.
Posted by: Aju on 07/09/2007
Another problem with your team could be that asking Kaarthick to keep wickets in addition to opening the innings might be taking things a bit too far. Most team managements would tend to give theor 'keepers the "luxury" of not having to bat in the top-3.
Posted by: shankant on 07/09/2007
i believe this should be the side: Y Singh, D Karthik, S Tendulkar, R Dravid, S Ganguly, M Dhoni, V Laxman and the 4 bowlers should be Zaheer, Kumble, Sreesanth and raneb bose. yuvaraj ahead of jaffer will not only improve the batting but will also add variety in the bowling. he, sachin and ganguly should share the 5th bowlers role. yuvaraj or laxman or dravid should open with karthik. sreesanth is a great swing bowler. in south african conditions he swung the ball a lot, in english conditions he'll be even better. raneb bose can also bowl a good outswinger and is more accurate than rp singh.
Posted by: cityharbour on 07/09/2007
Whys there so much argument about putting laxman at 6? I'd put him at 4 or 5. Ganguly could come at 6 as he is just as attacking as Yuvraj would be. My team would be
I'd much rather have Pathan in at 7 (drop kartick-harsh I know) put dravid to open and also have munaf in the team ahead of RP Singh. yuvraj should stay around the team as he will be one for the future. Dhoni should be droped as if we are 550/5 after in the middle of an afternoon session he could easily take it to england and have us blazing befor putting england in at the end of a day (if all goes well :o))
Posted by: Vinod Subramaniam on 07/09/2007
Jaffer, Kartik, Dravid, Tendulkar, Ganguly, Laxman, Yuvraj, Zaheer Khan, Kumble, Sreesanth and yours truly opening the bowling and coming 3 down.
Posted by: Ram Chamcha on 07/09/2007
Dont you think they will have the spinner by using Tendulkar and Ganguly ? Powar, while a brilliant bowler, will not give much hope for the first test espescially when much depends on how India bat more than them getting 11 wickets. Most Indian fans would take a draw without being defeatist, would you not agree ?
Posted by: Shubhen on 07/09/2007
This Weekend I had a chance to observe Indian cricket team practice and play their practice game against Sussex at Hove. And it was interesting to say the least. Looking at team India it’s pretty much evident that Its 11 men crafting the team not other way around where a team is made of any given 11 players. It’s understandably tough to maintain the factor “Team” with so many uncertainties around. New coaches (fielding and bowling) new players and new manager, all of them novel and looking to establish themselves. Although I must admit that kind of respect and authority Robin sing had over players was really hearting to see. Indian cricket fraternity is all about numbers “the more the better cricketer you are”. But Robin seems to be an exception to this number culture. It’s a great testimony for Robin’s credentials as a coach. Again I see India’s chances of succeeding on this English tour on the mercy of individual performances. If Dravid, Teandulkar and Laxman play up to their potentials I see England struggling in the series. But the important point is “again it will be win for Dravid, Sachin and Laxman”. This kind of cricket won’t take India any where. Indian cricket will be back to square one after couple of years (ones the senior players retire). I hope that my observations are not correct and team still has the “Team Factor” in it.
Posted by: Sai Prakash on 07/09/2007
I feel sad that a batsman of VVS Laxman's CLASS has to fight for a place with Ganguly and Yuvraj both of them being very poor TEST batsmen.I feel Dravid, Tendulkar and Laxman are our 3 best Bats.Karthik is a great find as an opener. Kumble will be a flop in England.His average is around 40.00 per wkt IN England. 4 pacers is the best option and Ganguly at 6.
Posted by: Kishore H . S on 07/09/2007
I think india should play 6 batsman and 5 bowlers with 2 spinners and 3 quickies. leave dhoni and yuvraj. Test cricket is all about picking up wickets
Posted by: Kishore H . S on 07/09/2007
I think india should play 6 batsman and 5 bowlers with 2 spinners and 3 quickies. leave dhoni and yuvraj. Test cricket is all about picking up wickets
Posted by: Amandeep Singh on 07/09/2007
On current record Laxman is India 's 3rd best test batsman after Sachin & Dravid.
HAD Laxman been given proper opportuinities,He would have been in the same brackets as Sachin & Gavaskar as the greatest test batsmen India ever produced.His ability to play crucial match winning innings in the most difficult of circumstances & match conditions is unquestioned.
Its just terrible selections & the insecurities of Ganguly & Dravid which led to His repeated axing from the team.
HAS anyone noticed this??? As soon as a tough overseas tour comes where the Indian batsmen are going to be facing difficult bowling attacks in adverse conditions,The skipper Dravid starts backing Laxman but when its an EASY series against Bangladesh everyone forgets about Him.
You know what that proves.. Laxman has been played in the team only when the captains have realised that IF they dont have Him in the team they would lose the series badly because this guy is a master of playing in difficult situations.They do so more to save the captaincy so dear to them than to give Laxman His due...
Otherwise He is never given a chance to build a great STATISTICAL RECORD by scoring easy runs against teams like Bangladesh & at home..
During an easy series Laxman is played at number 6 below even Ganguly who doesnt have 10% of Laxman's calibre as a test batsman.
But during a tough series He is always "promoted" up the batting order.
Shame on Indian selectors & on Ganguly & Dravid for being so harsh on an exquisite & artistic VERY VERY SPECIAL batting genius,a team man to the core & a gem of a guy...
And finally I believe India will miss Harbhajan who despite His poor ODI record in the past one year is still a much much better test spinner than Powar.
Posted by: Mohit Suryawanshi on 07/09/2007
My eleven would be: Kartick, Jaffer, Dravid, Tendulkar, Laxman, Ganguly, Dhoni, Kumble, Zaheer, Sreesanth, RP Singh.
I would really like to see Ganguly out but his bowling options keep him in. Also, he has got bloody-mindedness which Yuvraj Singh still lacks. I also would prefer Dhoni out and Kartick to keep, but we have neither Agarkar nor Irfan Pathan to balance the side. It's really a pity that the only all-rounder we have is Kartick. The guy is so good at adapting, maybe we should tell him to work on his bowling?
Posted by: ash on 07/09/2007
All - this talk about technique is just b***it. We all know how effective Sehwag & before im Krish Shrikanth was for an extended period of timke. There was only hand-eye co-ordination, no technique with any of them. At the end of the day, for a batsman what matters is how often he can play the ball out of reach of the fielders. Direction in which his head, hand, legs .... point is all meaningless. By the way,following is my choice 11 -
Jaffer, Karthik, Dravid, Ganguly, Sachin, Yuvaraj, Dhoni, Powar, Kumble, Sree Santh, Zaheer.
RP Singh might be a good one-day bowler with the time pressure on batsmen, but in tests he will at best be a stock bowler. Kumble & Powar will give us the option of 2 wicket-taking bowlers capable of bowling long spells.
Posted by: ibrar on 07/09/2007
I think India indeed has a dilemma in choosing Dhoni over Laxman. The former is a prolific run machine who can turn the game on its head while the latter is a equisite batsman who is proven in the test arena and most probably the best chance India have of either salvaging a draw or a win in the test series. I say bring on Laxman and let him prove his mettle. He has realised his faults and is looking good and in any case you cannot go on relying on players like Dravid, Ganguly or Tendulkar!!!! I am a Pakistan supporter but would love to see India beat England!!!!!
Posted by: Ajay on 07/09/2007
VVS should be in the side without question. But if you think that Ganguly deserves to play ahead of Yuvraj, look around and you will see only sand because your head is in it!
This is going to be a tough tour for Dhoni who may struggle against the moving ball - absolutely no harm in playing Karthik as keeper if that happens.It may allow your beloved Ganguly to play then!
Posted by: m n sudarsan on 07/09/2007
Traditionally, as the results of the last tour matches in the Lords point to, the team which manages to strike good batting form and piles up a sizeable first innings score, gets the edge. So the priority of the Indian Team should as well be 'effective bowling in the conditions'. So it will be good to have five bowlers, because the two keepers, especially lend a wonderful balance to the team. Karthik can be pushed into open the innings. Even on the last occasion, Bangar did a commendable job than a regular opening partner to Sehwag. The middle order revolves around 'Sachin,Dravid and Ganguly. I am not sure whehter Sachin and Ganguly will be 'solid and sound' this time. Laxman can ideally fit the bill. What I feel is that Laxman has a great ability to forge big partnerships. Teams which post big partnerships after 4th or 5th wickets, simply pulverise the oppositions. Aussies will generally rise from the positions like 150 or 200 for 4/5 and post a huge total. For this, Laxman is more suited than Yuvi, who is more flashy. No genuine offie. Sreesanth,Zaheer Khan,Ajit Agarkar and Kumble enough. Ganguly can be a change bowler.
Posted by: Tyche on 07/09/2007
Here is my team:
1. Kaarthick (I hate this numerology insanity)
2. Jaffer
3. Dravid
4. Tendulkar
5. Ganguly
6. Laxman (may be he should change his name to Laaxmann for better luck)
7. Yuvraj
8. Piyush
9. Zaheer
10. Kumble
11. Sreesanth
Perhaps, we should call our country "Indeea" or "Indiah" to bring us better fortunes!
Posted by: Vibhu Sharma on 07/09/2007
I am not sure why Laxman has to compete with Yuvraj. Toss-up should be between Ganguly and Yuvraj. Laxman needs to be a cretainty. We all know that Ganguly does very well against teams that don't have much of a bowling attack - so Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, Kenya, Namibia would suffer... But how many hundreds (TESTs please, not one-day hundreds) does he have against SA, WI, Pak, Aus? ZERO. And barring the debut series against England, he has nothing much to speak of. Ummm... He did score a hundred against Aus in a washed out test where McGrath, Lee, Warne etc. did not play... so thats more like Agarkar's hundred in tests :)
To me, the line-up should be:
Two openers (kaarthick, jaffer)
Middle order (Dravid, Sachin, Laxman)
Number six to be Yuvraj or Ganguly
And Five bowlers.
Posted by: Rajendran C. K. on 07/09/2007
Most talented batsman Laxmon out n chancy Yuvraj in, funny! Why are we so tolerant with unconcernred test bat Yuv while avoiding a great potential like Laxman, I wonder. I used to put my money earlier on Yuv, but long ago, that too in ODIs.
Even if Ganguli is out, Laxman should be in.
Posted by: Shoaib Akhtar on 07/09/2007
As usual,once again India is touring a top-class test country & once again we see the media go berserk over India's chances.Not to mention that almost 95% of the times,India has come back defeated & thrashed out of sight.The probability of its repeatation is very high again...I wonder if India once again comes out beaten & thrashed,eg 3-0/2-0.....
So isn't it irrelevant whether Laxman plays or Yuvraj ???(LOL) The end results are all too predictable,isn't it ???(MORE LOL)
Posted by: Rajesh on 07/09/2007
The 'always unlucky' Laxman can never relax and be sure of his place in the team till the eleventh hour. It's time India recognizes that Laxman is on par with Tendulkar and Dravid as one of India's great Test batsmen. Yuvraj is a good player but sorry to say that he can't be picked ahead of Laxman..... Karthick keeping wickets and dropping Dhoni cant be ruled out completely if Dhoni is found wanting in the seaming conditions because his technique never looks compact.... but that said whoever performs, be it Dhoni or Karthik should get the nod.
But India should soon decide who is their wicket-keeper ..... If Karthik plays, its got to be as a 'keeper... With due respect to all his batting abilities one still cant imagine dropping Laxman!! What a player...... !
Posted by: Rajesh on 07/09/2007
Flawed arguements in your article and very childish comments to follow. If one innings in a warm-up match qualifies Laxman over Yuvraj, Gambhir should play in place of Jaffer. Jaffer is certainly not any more consistent than Gambhir or Yuvraj. And what is it you have against Dhoni. He alwyas plays his part, so why give him an ultimatum. Let's stop predicting failures without even giving the right opportunities.
It's time Dravid starts thinking in terms of team's interests. Otherwise, we have more humiliation ahead. A victory against Bangladesh doesn't wipe out the repeated under-achievements of his teams.
It is time for Karthik to pick his role. It seems to me we are trying to somehow find a place for him in the team in stead of finding the best player for each spot. If he can't get in as a wicket-keeper, they tried him in the middle order. If he can't get in as the middle-order, they tried him as an opener. I think his best bet is to play as an opener. Maybe pick him over Jaffer for the first test and go from there. But let's make sure that is the spot he will be contending for in the future.
Posted by: cr on 07/09/2007
As many people have commented, Laxman is the one batsman in the Indian team who has been very poorly treated
by the selectors. Anybody who has played a crucial role in winning multiple tests against teams like Australia
(both in Australia & in India) and S.Africa (in S.Africa) deserves a fixed spot in the Indian Test team. He is
class personified and is the equal of Dravid and Tendulkar in tough situations. His out-fielding may not be upto
par, but he is safe in the Slips. He may not have Dravid or Tendulkar's numbers or averages, but he is a class act !
The selection for the first test is tricky. Do we have 4 bowlers who can bowl out England ? Zaheer is bowling well,
and Sreesanth has done well in S.Africa. I hope he continues to do so in England by keeping the seam as straight as
possible and let the conditions (and his bowling) do the talking rather than his mouth :-). Kumble is reliable as ever.
RP Singh as wicket taker ? I have my doubts. So we have only 3 bowlers who seem capable of taking any wickets at all.
We should really pick one more bowler (Powar ?), but the team management seems convinced that we need only 4 bowlers.
Cook, Bell and Strauss look like competent English batsmen, and Pietersen is a destroyer in the Tendulkar mould.
Can Kumble contain him and frustrate him into errors ? Although he can block Kumble and attack the other end if
they dish out loose stuff. Collingwood looks like one batsman who could drive us crazy with his ability to stick
at wicket for ever.
Harmison is probably not the force that he was in the Ashes that they won in England. I suspect that only Dravid and
Laxman really have the technique to handle him at full throttle with the bounce that he can generate. And what about
Flintoff ? Is he going to miss the entire test series ? I believe that Panesar will be a handful for Dravid and Tendulkar
- I am not sure why but they seem to always have difficulty with good left-arm bowlers inspite of being such classy players
otherwise. I believe that Ganguly and Laxman can handle him well. Can we convince Panesar to move to India :-) ?
They seem to have a few new bowlers who have come on of late against the West Indies in the tests - it may not be a true
reflection of how good they are, given that W.Indies did not have Lara and other than Chanderpaul they had nobody with
the technique to stay at the crease and grind it out. How good is Matt Prior ?
So for the final eleven, Ganguly and Yuvraj should fight for a spot in either case below, because both are left-handed
batters and both can bowl reasonably.
For a seaming wicket (6 specialist batters, 1 wk/batter, 3 seamers, 1 spinner, with Ganguly/Tendulkar making up 1 additional bowler):
I have been thinking the same lately about dhoni. I agree that he should be dropped. Since the world cup dhoni has failed to impress. Being from Chennai I also feel proud that Karthik has done so well. When he was dropped following the 2005 Series vs Pakistan, I felt he was given a raw deal. The selectors needed to give Karthik a chance at least in Tests because he seemed best suited to Playing Test cricket at the time. SInce the world cup Karthik has shown us that he can play in both Tests and One Dayers. The selectors need to stand by a player for more matches than they mornally do. That is the only way we will have a consistent team.
Yuvraj seems to be an adam Gilchrist kind of player. He may not be the smash from ball one player but once he gets set, Yuvraj goes nuts. I think #7 will be ideal for him if India have a decent total on the board. We have seen aussie scores go up by 150-175 runs because of the Gilly factor in the end. One thing we know is that Yuvraj will perform with the ball and he is a great asset in the field.
Jaffer should be given a chance ahead of Gambhir for th 1st test. This again is something the selectors need to do. It isnt about Jaffer having a guaranteed place regardless of form like say Sachin or in the past Sehwag. Jaffer needs a couple of more matches to establish himself. Gambhir is on the rise but I dont think he is ready technically to play test cricket. Test cricket needs a lot more batting skills and at the moment Jaffer has it. He just needs to be more patient.
I think Harbhajan being dropped may have nothing to do with his skills and ability. But Ganguly wasnt dorpped because of his form. His form did dip, but his comments and attitude came before that and bad form only made it easier for the board. Now Harbhajan is going through the same thing. Kumble is a much better Test spinner for India in all conditions. Kumble is alos way more mature than Bhajji. He lets the ball do the talking instead of his mouth and Bhajji really should learn from Kumble if he wants to get his place back and stay on once Kumble retires.
I can see a few HUGE negatives vs loads of positives if Dhoni is dropped from the Test team. Everyone has seen the video of Dhoni's sixes vs the WIndies. That though was the last I remember of Dhoni doing a Gilly. Drop Dhoni and maybe he will be able to concentrate on his ODI batting and also improve his technique. And the Board really needs to stop dropping people the moment they get settled.
Posted by: vinod on 07/09/2007
I think that Laxman should be played in england as he has always been a class player and he hasnt lost that touch.He has always been a victim of the lobbyism that persists in Indian cricket and that has affected his career. What Yuvraj does at point, Lasman is as important in the slip region as we do not have enough of good slip fielders in our team.Slip is the most important fielding place in test crictket. I dont think that Dhoni should be dropped because with Tenduldar and Saurav past their prime, he is the only one to take the attact to the opposition camp. Also Ganguly can be used as the fifth bowler and he has done in seaming conditions earlier also.
Posted by: Arindam Kundagrami on 07/09/2007
Let's play our six best batsmen, regardless their position. So they would be: Dravid, Tendulkar, Ganguly, Laxman, Yuvraj and Karthik. Doesn't really matter who opens because in England the ball swings always. Let Dhoni come at 7. If India really wants to push for 5 bowlers, drop Dhoni.
Posted by: Srikanth Ramachandran on 07/09/2007
I agree with most of CR's comments, especially that Panesar is likely to be a handful for Tendulkar. It really is a surprise that Tendulkar has struggled against decent spinners - almost always. I'd wager Dravid getting the better of Monty however. At the same time I think Laxman is our best player of spin and in recent series Monty has shown that he is England's strike bowler. In not picking Laxman to counter his threat we would be missing a trick. I also believe we should definitely play Yuvraj, given the form he is in. In the past Yuvraj has shown he is a confidence player and when in form he can carry that form into match after match and also help win games for India. Given all of the above I would say drop Dhoni and go with Jaffer, Karthik, Dravid, Tendulkar, Ganguly, Laxman, Yuvraj, Kumble, Sreesanth, Zaheer and Ranadeb Bose (for his ability to be a 'swinger' and not a hit-the-deck bowler like RP is). By the way the only reason I would pick Ganguly over Dhoni is because of his ability to bowl in seaming conditions. Let's see what the Indian team management come up with! And yeah, they would do well in offering Monty the world if he's willing to make the switch to India - he might be the best left-arm spinner after Bedi.
Posted by: Sandesh Rai on 07/09/2007
We should stop worrying about doing "Justice" to people. We need to be cut throat and choose the best 11 for each match. Each player should understand that he is being picked or dropped based on the needs of the team rather than for settling on unsettling them.
Posted by: Rama on 07/09/2007
VVS Laxman, who is class, technique, and tough temperment personified in cricketing world, has had a raw deal ever since Dravid took reins as a captain. Why doesn't Dravid recognize the talent of Laxman and give him a more secure berth in the side. Also, thanks to selectors such as Vengsarkar, who always sidelined Laxman with the pretext of `fitness'. Laxman is rarely given opportunities against lesser teams such as Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, Kenya, etc against whom Tendulkar, Ganguly, Dravid pile up runs to consolidate their positions. To even consider Laxman with the less sophisticated players such as Yuvraj Singh, Ganguly, Jaffer, and Karthik for a place in the team is unthinkable.
India deserve to loose big time if it put politics and cronyism ahead of talent.
Posted by: Nikhil on 07/09/2007
I don't know why people are hell-bent on wasting so much bandwidth on a non-issue. It's not like India has many options in all the spots of the batting order. Six batsmen + 1 wicketkeeper/batsman are necessary. Six of them are obvious. The merits of having Dhoni can be debated, but if production is the parameter then I might as well have Gambhir come in into the lower middle order. The primary reason being that the first test match of any series is the most important match and it is a good idea to have as much insurance as possible. Heck, our bowlers might stink but nothing gets the collective juices of us Indians going as runs on the board.
Posted by: Sivaram S on 07/09/2007
Why Jaffer got repetedly selected for Indian team i dono. He din do any thing great to the team. and also his fielding is very poor. Gambhir is better than Jaffer in all parts. Also Dhoni can be selected for the Oneday side. Since Kaarthick is doing good, no need of dhoni i say.. My team will be,
1.Dinesh Karthick
2.Gambhir
3.VVS Laksman
4.Sachin Tendulkar
5.Dravid
6.Ganguly
7.Yuvraj Singh
8.Anil Kumble
9.Zaheer Khan
10.Sreesanth
11.RP Singh
If England is Batting first and batting for more than 3 to 4 sessions. Let Ganguly to open the Innings. He is opening Batsman only no?? Ask Dinesh Karthik to come in 3 or in middle order position. This is the best squad.. Gangulay can seam a bit. Yuvraj also a useful bowler.. Obviously we can hav 4 seam 2 spin attack..
Posted by: Karthik on 07/09/2007
Just curious.. What is the official word on the spelling of Dinesh Karthik's name?
I think India will only go in with 4 bowlers and use Tendulkar, Ganguly and Yuvraj (if he plays) as a floating fifth option.
Posted by: Nattusbs on 07/09/2007
Look at the Indian bowling today against Sussex. The group of Shreesanth, RP Singh, Bose, Kumble and Yuvraj could not bowl them out. How do you expect them to bowl out England twice in a match(with the addition of Zaheer)? So, going with 4 specialist bowlers is not going to win matches. They need 5 bowlers. Dhoni can be dropped to add a the bowler that is needed.
My team would be: Jaffer, Karthick, Dravid, Tendulkar, Laxman, Ganguly, Zaheer Khan, RP Singh, Shreesanth, Kumble, Bose.
Some would argue that the tail is long - but, if the top 6 batsmen do their job, why worry about the tail? Bose is talented and should be nurtured/mentored for the future.
Posted by: Srini on 07/09/2007
It was funny reading Srikanth Ramachandran's comment on Sachin's ability against decent spinners..well..where would he rate Warne and Murali (for all Murali can say, Sachin has played him pretty decently)
Yes..Sachin has been guilty of falling to new comer spinners - He fell to Monty, the SA spinner..etc..I think it is over confidence that cost him rather than inability..Also, when he gets into a defensive mindset, he becomes vulnerable at times..But, looking at his revivalistic tendencies, I am pretty sure, Monty is going to find the going tough and rough...
Dhoni is not a test batsmen and if Kaarthik can keep well, get the best out of him..opening and keeping no big deal - might help his concentration.
Posted by: Mahesh on 07/09/2007
The big wigs are not going to last forever and no one below 30 is an automatic selection in batting. But they never will unless groomed. I would rather the team rotate the bastmen for the matches choosing among the golden oldies and not so youngsters dropping 1 each for every match.
Rotate with 2 of 3 every match:
old: Sachin, Rahul and Laxman
young: Yuvraj, Jaffer, Gambhir
Rotate with 3/4:
all rounders: Saurav, Powar, Dhoni & Karthik
Bose will not get to play, too bad but have seen little of him to warrant a place and he is not that young to be groomed.
Posted by: Surender Kumar on 07/09/2007
I absolutely agree with Amandeep singh's comments and commend him for supporting Laxman. Laxman has always been a great strength to the Indian side overseas.
Laxman is a match winner and has always given his more than 100% at crucial times, be it test cricket or one dayers. How many times we saw Laxman batting with the tail end to save a test match, when we compare this with a Sachin or Ganguly they come a cropper.
Laxman's career is being spoilt by the Indian selection politics and he is loosing the precious time of his life outside the field.
It is high time the board and all cricket lovers support Laxman in getting his due, give his worth and recognise him as a true legend.
Posted by: James on 07/09/2007
What India team lacks now is the fire power at the top of the order,largely due to Sehwag's absence. There is no doubt that the team misses his service. Both Jaffer and Karthik have a very low strike rate. You don't need both players to hold the side, at least one should be aggressive.
Look at the Aussies, they are able to score big only because they are aggressive. I think Yuvraj should be given the opportunity simply because he is one of the few established batsmen in the team. Giving him more chances at the test level is significant for India's future. And certainly there is no space for two spinners, 3 pace men is mandatory to win a test match in England.Dhoni must play in the test matches because he is a match winner. My team is:
Ganguly,Dravid,Laxman,Tendulkar,Yuvraj,Dhoni,
Khan,Kumble,Bose,Sreesanth,RP Singh.
Posted by: siddharth on 07/09/2007
jaffer should be out. scroing centuries against banfladesh shouldn't count. gambhir has scores runs far more consistently than him. i can't understand how people like the author consider them to be experts.
Bengal tiger should be there at one dayer's also because he has an better batting average than sachin and also he is an useful bowler in critical stages.
Posted by: Santosh on 07/09/2007
I dont think that india should be playin dhoni as a wicketkeeper any more because looks like that he is takin his place for granted doin noyhin.Karthik should have a try at that position
Posted by: WASIM SAQIB on 07/09/2007
Since when batting became India's Problem, I think you guys should concentrate more on your bowling
it lacks penetration,even sussex batsmen were able to sustain the Indian bowling attack,India's future is with Yuvraj and in my opinion he should play the tests.
Posted by: Ravi from OZ on 07/10/2007
Mukul,
You must be joking when you say that India should win by playing to it's strength, batting.
Who's going to take the wickets???????
Priorities in India is all upside down.
It's the bowlers that win matches 90% of the time. If 5 superstar pampered batsmen can't handle the opposition bowling, sixth one isn't going to make a difference.
India needs bowling superstars. ICC makes so much money that they could use it correctly to produce world beating bowlers. If bowlers make more money, lot of young people would want to become bowlers. Ask any yougster in India today, majority want only to emulate Tendulkars & Dravids.
Otherwise, India can forget becoming the best cricket team.
Posted by: raja rakesh reddy on 07/10/2007
DOES GANGULY OR YUVI PREFER PLACE OVER LAXMAN.CAN THEY FACE THE SWING AND SEAM OF FREDDIE AND COMPANY.I BET THAT THEY R GOING TO WAG THEIR BAT TOWARDS FIRST SLIP OR THE KEEPER.
I THONK MUMBAI BASED STUPID POLITICS ARE KEEPING PLAYERS LIKE GHAMBHIR OUT AND JAFFER IN.JAFFER COULDN'T PUT HIS BAT TO BALL AGAINST A 3RD CLASS TEAM LIKE SUSSEX. ANEW PLAYER LIKE BADRINATH SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN THESE CONDITIONS.
GOD HELP OUR SO CALLED PACE BOWLERS WHO STRUGGLE BOWL A 140KMPH OVER AT A STRAIGHT.
ONLY VVS,DRAVID AND THE GENIUS LITTLEMASTER CAN PUT ENGLISH TO DUST,WHICH OVERCAME THE MIGHT OF AUSSIES.
Posted by: Devadatta on 07/10/2007
We should have included this guy who had a batting average of 42 in our last England tour, and also a century at Lords. Oh, he bowls a bit as well and was excellent in the ODIs in Ireland. Anyone for Ajit Agarkar? To me, a much better bet than Bose, Ishant Sharma, et al.
Posted by: Shankar Anand on 07/10/2007
Assume England bat first and bat long. How do we expect Karthik to keep wickets for 1.5 days and then come out to open?
Posted by: Amandeep Singh on 07/10/2007
@Surender Kumar: Thank you for your support..
@Devdatta: I agree with you.Ajit Agarkar is definitely a better bet than Bose,Ishant Sharma etc. especially in the English seaming conditions.
Posted by: Anonymous on 07/10/2007
we will still back warne if he gets laxman 6times in the threematch series)and doesn"t get any otherwickets inthe series(aussies in india 2003) -adamgilchrist
such is the fear andrespect the aussies have towards VVS LAXMAN.UNFORTUNATLEY OUR STUPID SELECTORS LIKE VENGSARKAR WHO RARLEY CHASED THE BALL IN HIS CRICKETING DAYS,SAYS THAT LAXMAN ISNOT FIT TO BE IN TEAM.AS IF GANGULY IS SO,BECAUSE HE HAS THE STANDARDS OF THE BENGAL COMMUNIST CRICKETING STANDARDS.
Posted by: raja rakesh reddy on 07/10/2007
I BET ANY INDIAN SELECTOR OR COMMUNIST LEADER BACKING GANGULY SHOW A MATCH WINNING CONTRIBUTION IN ATESTMATCH IN AN PRESSURE SITUATION a'la laxmans 281,148,69 versus australia.
doesnt laxman deserve aplace?
Posted by: Omer Admani on 07/10/2007
My guess is that India will comfortably lose, unless some bowlers find the form of their lives.
England are good at home. Secondly, England persevere more (and are much more patient) in the longer form of the game.
Yuvraj shouldn't play (his technique is not good enough to make an impact on the seaming pitches). Dhoni shouldn't play either. What I can't understand is that if Khartik does the keepering, why doesn't India simply play Sehwag at number 6 or 7 instead of either Yuvraj or Dhoni (Laxman should definitely play). It is right that he doesn't have a better technique than either Dhoni or Youvraj, but nevertheless he has mantained a good average, and more importantly, can play a 'longer' innings down the order (Suppose the top 4 get out quick, which I believe WILL happen). His spin could be useful as well.
If Indians can reverse the older ball, and remain patient and consistent even if things aren't going well, then they have a chance.
But don't raise your expectations too much.
Why do people think that we should choose between Laxman and Yuvi, what did Ganguly do to have a place in the side.. In S.A every innigs he played was edgy not at all comfortable with the bouncer and stuff like that.. if you say he has a better record in England in the past and then why don't we have Sehwag in the team based on his test averages... what did he do wrong.. I don't see the selectors have an open selection process.. (Is it gonna change any time in the near future).
I don't care if India wins or looses, I want to see the desire (to win) in the team and in their body language.. they should get some inspiration from Chanderpaul...
Lets wish'em all the good luck in the world...
Posted by: boucher on 07/10/2007
I think the Indian team selectors have their minds clouded. While the entire balance of the team needs to be kept in mind, the selection needs to be done on a player vs player basis. I think the basic problem here is in trying to play two wicket keepers. The management has to take a decision, who is better- dhoni or kartik and then play one of them- in my opinion, Dhoni is the better player. And if someone feels Kartik merits his place as a batsman, then compare, Kartik vs Laxman and Kartik vs Yuvraj. Its easy to see that both Laxman and Yuvraj deserve to be in the team on the basis of this comparison. Kartik may be the player for the future. Till then, till his time comes let him be in the reserves.
Posted by: suneel on 07/10/2007
its a real pity to watch a batsman of vvs laxman caliber playing defensively as he has been doing for the last one year and half.Damian martyn who was very much in he mold of vvs laxmans class maintained his attacking instincts through out his career but laxman failed to do so only because of lack of proper assurance from senior players, (DRAVID inparticularwho succumbed to political pressure of keeping the exhausted" saurav ganguly in team)and selectors.i question ganguly supporters .......how many match winning test innings or match saving test innings did ganguly play..his innings at brisbane match saving one and his innings in kandy match winning one(99*)
if one has to name laxmans match wiining and saving innings here comes a lot...most of his hundreds and fifties comes under that category.coming to fifties a superb fifty against kiwis at mohali 2003 where he and akash chopra saved India after kiwis enforced follow on....any doubts.Come on INDIA start recognizing talent. its not a case of ganguly or laxman or yuvraj issue.its about learning a culture where one should give importance to a fact that a player should be backed up and should be allowed to play the game to satisfy his natural instincts and at same time maintaining the best interests of the game.
Posted by: Vishal on 07/10/2007
Inida should play Laxman in the top six and Dhoni should be replaced by karthik!
Posted by: Tridib on 07/10/2007
My take: Jaffar, Gambhir, Karthik, Dravid, Tendulkar,Ganguly,Yuvraj,Zaheer, Kumble, Powar, Sreesanth
Posted by: raj k. silwal on 07/10/2007
ok i am telling first dream team for team india.some player are outside team presently,for one day cricket,robin uthappa,saurav ganguly,sachin tendulkar,rahul dravid,yuvraj singh,ms dhoni,irfan pathan,ajit agarkar,zaheer khan,harbhajan singh,munaf patel and for test wasim jaffer,rahul dravid,sachin tendulkar,vvs laxman,saurav ganguly,yuvraj singh,dinesh karthik,anil kumble,zaheer khan,shreesanth,rp singh for first test against england.any way me and whole indian fan want irfan pathan to come back in banana swing with 140km/hr fast then india do not need no 7 batsman and india can play with 5 batsman ,5 baller and 1 wicket keeper.then only india can roll in cricket..........................
Posted by: jitendra on 07/10/2007
I will pick laxman over yuvraj and even over Saurav.
Posted by: rashila joshi on 07/10/2007
why indian selector dont like ajit agarkar i am surprised ,i think he is one baller left in indian team now who can swing the ball ,other baller has no potential to swing the ball and they dont have speed too where agarkar has pace of 145km/hr,what is the problem with selector ,and i dont think jaffer is classic batsman ,he will be flop star in this england tour ,hope swinging star irfan pathan will come soon in indian team with his speed of 140 km/hr all the best to my personal favourite irfan khan pathan .
Posted by: keshab on 07/10/2007
my comments for the india team is play with 4 boller like zaheer,shreeshant,kumble,rp sing then batsman jaffer,gambhir,sachin,sourav,rahul,dhoni and yubi thats enough for england team
Posted by: Yash on 07/10/2007
There is a man not in the tour party who has more reason that Laxman or Yuvraj to feel hard done by the selectors. If you want someone who can score quick runs down the order but still play primarily as a bowler suited to English conditions, then that man is Irfan Pathan. Whether you play him as the fifth bowler or drop one of the other quicks to play Dhoni probably depends more on the pitch than anything else - play four bowlers at Lords but five at the Oval, and check the weather at Trent Bridge beforehand.
Posted by: Abhinav on 07/10/2007
Well accordin to me.. INdia should definitely drop Dhoni.. I'm not sayin dis coz he failed against sussex.. But also coz he doesn't look like a test player to me.. Now I'm not sayin dis coz of his flash battin.. In ODIs.. he has won a lot of games for us.. No doubt.. But in tests. I dun remember any decent innings from him.. Except dat 140 odd against pakistan on a flat,dead pitch.. Kaarthik definietely keeps better dan dhoni.. Also he has improved his battin.. SO for me.. Dhoni should be dropped.. And den yuvraj can cum in to play... So for me.. India should go wid dis team
To debate Yuvraj Singh's place in the side with arguments pertaining to consistency etc. is to lose the point. Anyone who would remember seeing Yuvi's first ODI innings at Nairobi vs the Aussies has got to give the guy his due, that he is a rare talent-rare enough for the Pakis, rarer for Indians, even more so for other cricketing nations. When you claim the right to boast of a brilliant batting line-up, you should surely be able to afford one maverick talent; a batsman who can turn games on the head (witness Natwest final), a batsman who is not overawed by the opposition and their big names (2000 ICC tourny, vs Steve Waugh & Co.), and what is more frequently required (more so by the Indians)-a finisher, a batsman, who, coming at no. 5 or 6, can finish off what was started by his illustrous predecessors in the line-up(witness Ind vs Pak, WC 2003).Add to all these, his superb fielding at point-where Robin Singh was the standard till a few years back. Never since ODI cricket became serious stuff has India got such a player in its ranks. When the team plays well, a team comprising of such greats, India has every chance of winning anyway even if Yuvi doesn't do anything extraordinary. Its when the topguns fail that his presence matters. For this particular job, consistency is secondary. What matters is the ability to sustain pressure backed by sheer talent. As John Arlott famously said "consistency is for wimps".
Posted by: Chandru on 07/10/2007
India are so going to lose the test match.How can the selectors be so dumb by not taking Piyush Chawla. He would have troubled the English Batsmen.
I hope someone can relay this message to the selectors or I shall personally call Sharad.
Posted by: Team India Fan on 07/10/2007
Actually, we are playing with four batsmen. If you take out Sourav Ganguly, who plays for his place rather than for Team and his contribution hardly matters anyway. Has he won a single Test for us ?
So if we go with 5 batsmen then it is Saurav Ganguly who should be dropped and it should toss up between Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh for 5th place.
In bowler-friendly conditions we should go with 6 Batsmen and play it safe and try to win if luck favours us.
If conditions favour batters then we should go with 5 batsman and bowl aggressively with 5 bowlers like what Dravid does.
Posted by: Radha krishnan on 07/10/2007
You should have picked Sehwag for this conflict.You are all going to loose the game. I swear.NO Sehwag no fun of game.Think about next time.Jaffer and Ganguly should have dropped for this series
Posted by: Sudipta Bhattacharjee on 07/10/2007
Despite being the top scorer at test series in South Africa in bouncy pitch few months ago, some people are still thinking of the ability of Ganguly. This can be happened in India only. Why he will be dropped from test side. M.S. Dhohi should be dropped from test squad becasue technically Dinesh Karthik is more superioir weeketkeeer as well as Batsment and both Yavraj & Laxman can play.
Posted by: Prasad Bhogadi on 07/10/2007
The team final 11 will be purely on the conditions at the venue. In my opinion Laxman inspite of scoring 95 in the practice match would be under immense pressure to perform if he needs to cement his place in the test team. It remains a fact that he is one of the most talented batsmen India has produced, but with least support and backing from board, selectors and media (Who impact the team). So unlike others, if he finds a place in test team, it purely based on his performance and commitment to the game of cricket. He has never commented adversely against board or management, inspite of being dropped many a times without a proper reason (sometimes giving age as a reason, sometimes fielding....). When you are under pressure, it takes alot to prove yourself. Will Laxman prove himself is a question that would be answered only after first test and it will also decide his fate as a national cricketer.
Posted by: Ranjan Sandeep Soreng on 07/10/2007
I think that Dravid should drop the luxury of having 2 wicket in the team. I don't understand the reason for playing with 2 specialist keeper. And secondly jaffer should make way for Gambhir.The selector selected Jaffer as a specialist batmans but I doesn't see any quality in him.He just hangs around the wicket and doesn't even make runs.Whne he trys to make some,he gets himself out. So I would prefer Gambhir to Jaffer.In India tour to Bangalesh, Jaffer didn't even got a score in First test.Got himself out for duck in both the inning.Thirdly, I would choose to play 4 bowlers rather than 5.I would like to comment on a Dravid comments that he said to win a match we need 20 wickets so we will play 5 bowlers.But does the 5th bowler does any thing.The 5th bowler is always under-bowled.He hardly get to bowl more than 10 overs in an innings.So can we really take the risk of playing 5th bowler.It will be better to choose Laxman than a 5th bowler. Atleast he can put more than 50 runs to the total which will give our bowler more confidence.So my team would be:
1-Gambhir
2-Dinesh Karthik
3-VVS Laxman
4-Sachin Tendulkar
5-Rahul Dravid
6-Saurav Ganguly
7-Yuvraj Singh
8-Anil Kumble
9-Zaheer Khan
10-S.Sreesanth
11-Rp Singh/Ranadeep Bose.
Posted by: INDIAN on 07/10/2007
There is no point in playing 2 specialist keepers in the side.. Well some may argue that Karthik is playing as a specialist batsman.. but Dhoni has not performed well outside the subcontinent and his batting technique doesnt look good for test cricket but then even Yuvraj's technique doesnt look good enough.. I think either Yuvi or Dhoni must play.
Indian batsmen have to be at their best if they have to withstand the in-form English bowling attack.. But the real battle to look for will be
TENDULKAR Vs PANESAR
Posted by: Harish on 07/10/2007
If this is going to be a tough series, then there is no way VVSL can be dropped. He invariably top scores when the going is tough. Remember the last test against West Indies or the Mumbai test against Australia. What wrong has he done? He is simply the 3rd best batsman in the side.
Posted by: Ajay R. Kamath on 07/10/2007
I love your optimism,Mukul, and wish I could share it.The chances of this attack getting up 20 wickets in one test match, however, is about as much as that of Sania Mirza winning a Grand Slam tournament this year.I think we'll bat well....we must then pray that Kumble bowls his heart out and that we hold everything that's in the air and that Steve Bucknor isnt umpiring too many games.
Posted by: rabins on 07/10/2007
India has too many openers. Ganguly,Tendulkar, karthik, jaffer, gambhir and even dravid sometimes. So, I think the best opening partners should be included who are Sachin and Ganguly. This omits jaffer and gambhir. I think kathik should be prefered over dhoni for tests but he shouldn't be allowed to open because he has got to maintain his stamina fir wicket keeping and batting. Laxman is a genius. I don't see why he is not considered in all tests as tendulkar or dravid are. We have missed out a jewel and he is harbajan. Such a great spinner! Sreesanth, RP Singh, Zaheer , Kumble should be the bowlers. The role of fifth bowler can be filled by ganguly, tendulkar and yuvraj. So, in my opinion the best 11 would be :-
1>Tendulkar
2>Ganguly
3>Dravid
4>Laxman
5>Yuvraj
6>Karthik
7>Kumble
8>Zaheer
9>Zaheer
10>Sreesanth
11>RP singh
I hope harbajan, pathan, agarkar and sehwag are included in following tours. Good luck india!
Posted by: john on 07/10/2007
Jaffer should go out, to incosistent.
karthick and dravid open.
then sachin then ganguly for the middle overs, because ganguly is a very good player of spin, so he can play monty panesar in the middle overs.
then vvs laxman and yuvraj. wicket keeper dhoni, can score quick runs with the tail.
bowlers. tow spinners if the pitch is right, so kumble and possibly powar. if condition suit seam, then 3 seamers, khan, sreesanth and agarkar.
since sehwag has been dropped it has weakened the mighty batting line up, and harbajan being dropped has also weakened the spin department.
Posted by: Muthu on 07/10/2007
I think Zaheer will be a great factor in this series with his recent county spell that included a 9-for. In the batting, I would like to see Jaffer make way for Laxman and Yuvraj is given a permanent place - He could be like a Symonds for India and his regular 2/20-odd performance is a great boost for the bowling. Basically, the big three, Zaheer, Sreesanth and Kumble will do the job for India and that job is just to not lose - winning is a bonus and thats always been the case with india irrespective of the opponent and the conditions!!
Posted by: Thought Shaman on 07/10/2007
Interesting that Laxman, Ganguly and Karthik seem to be the focus of discussion.
Tendulkar should drop down to no. 6.
1. Karthik
2. Jaffer
3. Dravid
4. Laxman (No. 4 is for the teams's best free stroker)
5. Ganguly/Yuvraj
6. Tendulkar (he has only 2 gears these days)
7. Dhoni
8. Kumble
9. Zaheer
10. Sreesanth
11. RP Singh
Posted by: Vamsi on 07/10/2007
I think Jaffer and Dhoni shoud not be included in the test squad. 6 batsmen and 5 bowlers if they wanna win. U can pack the team with batsmen if u are aiming just to draw. Looking at the way RP singh batted against Sussex he should be included..My final pick if India wants to play to win (rather than to draw):
Dravid
Tendulkar
Ganguly
Laxman
Yuvraj
Karthick
Sreesanth
RP SINGH
Jaheer
Kumble
Agarkar/Chawla - based on the pitch
Posted by: Surya on 07/10/2007
Well said Mukul. Yes, there's a dilemma in selecting batsmen for the first test at Lords.I wish it should be between Ganguly and Yuvi not between VVS and Yuvi. It's shame for cricket itself.
Posted by: Rajesh on 07/10/2007
It's not as difficult as it is made out to be. Don't try to make a team in order to please everyone. That is not possible. Only 11 players can play.
For the first test, I think we need to play six specialist batsmen, one keeper and four bowlers. Playing only five batsmen is risky in the first test. This is where we need an all-rounder in the team.
As it stands, only two among Laxman, Ganguly and Yuvraj can be in the team. We have to assume that Dravid and Tendulkar are going to make the team.
Only two among Karthik, Gambhir and Jaffer can play.
Zaheer, Sreesanth, RP Singh and Kumble get in. I don't think many people will argue with that.
Any other combination should be argued only after the first test.
Yuvraj gets in if either Laxman or Ganguly can not go. He is unlucky to miss out. But this is probably the last chance for Ganguly and Laxman. We should play'em in the first test and take it from there.
Posted by: vik on 07/10/2007
Don't blame the selectors. These selection issues would not crop up if the best 11 consistently made themselves known. As it is the selectors have the tough assignment to choose between a wicket keeper who has been struggling for runs outside the subcontinent - Dhoni, a finisher who isn't really a test batsman - Yuvraj, and the old hand in Laxman.
Ultimately India have to show that they can relly on their strength - batting and go with 5 bowlers in Sreesanth, Khan, Kumble, Rp Singh and choose between Powar/Chawla/Agarkar.
I look forward, eagerly, to the day soon when Irfan Pathan is 100% healthy and can once again reclaim his spot on the national side to be the menacing strike bowler and great number 7/8 batsman. When that day comes there won't be these selection issues as Pathan is a match winner.
Come on Irfan, we're all hoping you come through!
Posted by: Saurabh on 07/10/2007
i dont understand one thing that why most of the people are talking that senior players should be dropped to groom young players. we had enough of this youngsters non sense and seen results of this in the world cup.
most of people give examples of australia but they dont see that even australia do rely on thier senior players and more so because the avg age of people making it to australian team is much higher than that of india
we must concentrate on winning current matches more than worrying unnecessarily about future.
Posted by: Marcus on 07/11/2007
I agree wholeheartedly with the Indian Team Expert and Radha Krishnan. Sehwag! He's one of my favourite players in the world, one of the most entertaining, one of the most destructive and one of the best openers India have produced- EVER. As Radha Krishnan says, what about next time? Next time India are playing Australia, and if there's one batsman you want to face our attack, that's Sehwag.
Posted by: ADhaul on 07/11/2007
I read the comments of previous writers. I am glad that they mentoined the name of Sehwag and Kaif. England must thank Vengsarkar for not selecting Sehwag for this trip.Harbhajan will also be missed.As for VVS he was always given a raw deal, but now it is Yuvi who should take that spot for his batting, bowling and fielding. The toss up should be between Dada and VVS. The next practice match should be a parameter to decide the opener spot between Gambhir and Jaffar with Karthik as a secure opener.Again Mr vengsarkar be fair to North players who have been match winners for India.
Posted by: Jayadev on 07/11/2007
I would like to see Sewag back in to the team. He is one of the real match winner for India. And dont forget that he is having good average in Test with above 45. We need some one on the top to lead the attack to the opposition and i dont see no one other than Sewag.
Karthik
Dravid
Laxman
Tendulkar
Ganguly
Yuvraj
Dhoni
Kumble
Zaheer
Sreesanth
R P Singh
Posted by: Subramanian on 07/11/2007
The best 11 for India in Test is. for the opening i dont want to give any justification of sehwag selection in my side. both Gambir and Jaffer had enough chance to prove but they only shows their inconsitance so yuvraj should give chance every one knows he plays pace better than spinner and now a days he also leaves the ball well and shows lot of maturity in batting so he should give change to prove .
i think its time we looked to build a team for the future..Sach,wall,lax, ganguly and kumble wont be around when india tours the english islands next time round..so its better to pick ppl like yuvraj,dhoni now so that they get used to the conditions and sort out the problems in their technique...jaffer, gambhir are never going to be our solution to the opening woes..they struggle on seaming,bouncy wickets and score a hundred as soon as they encounter a flat wicket
Posted by: kapil sharma on 07/11/2007
I feel yuvraj should be played over Dhoni and karthik will keep wickets so india will be playing with four specialist bowlers and three parttime bowlers in the form of ganguly,sachin and yuvraj.
Posted by: harish s n on 07/11/2007
wah!kya team hai bhai!
Posted by: sam on 07/11/2007
The problem with Indian Cricket has been that it has always placed much weightage to individual records than team performance. Thus, a Sachin century is more important than the team winning. What invariably happens in such a case is that superstars are created after a couple of entertaining innings and actual team men get sidelined. Such a case is someone like VVS Laxman. Whenever people tend to show the records of someone like Sachin (a great player no doubt, maybe the greatest India ever produced) they tend not to care too much about the oppositions and the actual number of match winning innings and concentrate more on the averages and the centurys. Whereas for Laxman, first part of his career he had to open the innings and never was he given the luxury of a settled spot in the side, other than a brief period of around 2 years, which incidentally were also his best. Also comes a series versus SA or Aus, he gets easily into the team whereas against Bangladesh he gets to warm the benches, while Sachin, Ganguly and Co. make merry, thus inflating their averages. Just hope that the team selection would be fairer this time and he comes back in all his silken glory.
Posted by: Amit on 07/11/2007
Although Yuvraj is in the form of his life in ODI's, I can't seem to remember a single Test match inning of his of any consequence apart from the 112 in Pakistan. Can someone run a check? Also, I'd play Laxman above the contentious number 6 spot, say number 5 and have either Ganguly or Yuvraj slug it out for the number 6 spot.
Posted by: nimjfbdhbf on 07/11/2007
yuvi should play instead of vvs . we all know that yuvi is a player who can play underpressure. and how can we drop dhoni he has severs so much for indian cricket.
I totally disagree. Ganguli has been awful since world cup for India. In Bangladesh - he averaged last among 6 Indian batsmen in terms of batting average. Dhoni , Kartick, Tendulkar, Dravid, Jaffer etc topped the averages. In 3 ODIs against RSA too Ganguli was awfull and clueless.
So if any batsman who deservs to be dropped it Ganguli.
Posted by: Rhk98 on 07/11/2007
If the aim is to win then this should be the team. It has 5 bowlers. Sorry no Dhoni. Cant afford the luxury of 2 wicketkeepers and on current form Kartick looks the better test batsman.
Kartick, Jaffer,Dravid,Sachin,Ganguly, VVS,Zaheer, Agarkar, Sreesanth, Kumble, RP Singh
Posted by: Kamal on 07/11/2007
vvs laxman was always treated badly.He should be the fiest choice at no 5 after sachin and dravisd
Posted by: Pravin pawar on 07/11/2007
I think India's selection policies have always been biased against Laxman. It's pathetic that a batsman of his calibre has to get an "endorsement" from the captain in order to be sure of his place in the team. By dropping him consistently, the selectors have succeeded in curbing his natural strokeplaying ability, and as a result he has turned into a defensive player. The Indian panel of selectors are a complete bunch of idiots with short memories. Meanwhile, the Indian team management seems to make all its decisions in a proverbial smoke-filled room with a surreptitiousness that is sure to break the confidence of a player by sending him the wrong messages. A fair and open selection policy is vital to ensure better performance in Indian cricket.
I can't believe people still want Sehwag and Harbhajan Singh included!
Let's be completely honest here. Even though these two players are very talented, they haven't been able to bring that talent forward in tough situations for the past two years!
Sehwag is a sitting duck to deliveries outside the offstump early on in his innings because he doesn't use his footwork to get across to the line of the delivery but simply flashes at it and gets out caught at the slips. That's not opinion. That's fact. In the modern game every team can break down opposing batsman's weakenesses and bowlers know that Sehwag is weak in this area and has gotten out consistently in this fashion. Sehway hasn't shown he can improve this weakeness so why should he be picked until he can prove otherwise?
It's not fair to a Sehwag in particular to continue to select him when he hasn't improved in this area as he'll continue to get out.
Same with Harbhajan. Instead of flighting deliveries and letting it rip he's been playing safe for the past two years instead of taking risks and delivering wicket taking balls because those deliveries often go for a lot of runs. Until he can improve on this area then why pick him? At the moment he's just an average economical spin bowler who's averaging less than one wicket a game. That's awful. We already have average spinners who can fill his role in Yuvi and Tendulkar.
Stop blaming the selectors and open your eyes to the weakenesses of the players that have been dropped.
Posted by: Ranjit on 07/11/2007
This phrase being used by many "To play to our strength" is kind of more diplomatic and silly and rediculous at best. How come the strength of Indians is only Batting.......ever since they have been playing the game? If smaller countries like Pakistan and Sri Lanka can have genuine pace bowlers..... Why India a country of more than billion people have few genuine fast bowlers? The fact is, spinners dominate the scene (it is very esay to be a spinner)through influnece at all level from preparation of pitch to selection in the test squad. As long as this hopless system lingers on....there will never be a test team India can think of being called a world class.
Posted by: atul on 07/11/2007
rp singh should not be in the team,sharma or bose should be given a chance
Posted by: kanaiya on 07/11/2007
for India the best thing is to bring back shewag in the test team. for india to win over england india needs to bat an an economy of 4 like the australians do and that is possible if if shewag is there on the top. The indian selectors are gone made picking jaffer in place of shewag jaffer is only good in domestic level international cricket is beyond his level. I am in fully support of the indian captian if he brings in shewag.Whether he scores or not but he can bowl to that solves indias problem of fifth bowler to. for india to win my advice is to bring back shewag in the team.
THE INDIAN TEAM LINE UP MUST BE
-SHEWAG
-GAMBHIR
-DRAVID
-TENDULKAR
-LAXMAN
-GANGULY
-DHONI/KARTHICK
-KUMBLE
-ZAHEER
-SREESANTH
-RP SINGH
Posted by: raj on 07/11/2007
Karthik
Jaffer
Dravid
Sachin
Ganguly
Laxman
Dhoni
Kumble
Zaheer
Sreesanth
R P singh
will do
Posted by: Dharmendra Mohan on 07/11/2007
I think VVS Laxman. If Indian Think Tank to go without this wristy batsman then there will be no place for think in this tank.
Indian Team for Lords Test...
1. Jaffer
2. Kartick
3. Dravid
4. Tendulkar
5. Laxman
6. Ganguly
7. Dhoni
8. Kumble
9. Sreensanth
10.Zaheer
11.RP Singh
Good mixture of steady and explosive batsmen. Ganguly and Yuvraj will have to help as the fifth bowler.
Posted by: Sairam Tammisetti on 07/12/2007
I do not understand why does the media and team always puts VVS Laxman under pressure. Everybody has to agree that he has been given very limited chances off late. It is Ganguly I believe whe needs to be put under the scanner and it is he who should compete with others for place in the team. His claim to glory after come back to test team is his half century against SA, where Laxman also got a half century, but nobody seems to remember that. I would not dare to spaek about his selection ahead of Laxman in Bangladesh series, which just reeks of Indian farcical and dubious selection where there is too much of behind the door "extraneous" non cricketing factors involved in selection. Bangladesh series is just a series to boost to personal averages and should not be taken into consideration for selection. Laxman is a proven performer in all conditions where he played a key role in almost every Indian test win in the recent decade or so. Please give a break to that poor man.
Posted by: Namita Singh on 07/12/2007
VVS Laxman is one of the best batsman in Indian camp, so Team Managment should not think beyond that. I would like DADA to open and Laxman to come at no. three.
Posted by: Amit on 07/13/2007
Since picking the XI for Lords seems the done thing, here's my team in batting order:
The Sixth Batsman is a matter of Dravid's Sixth Sense.
There isn't any doubt he'll begin the series with four bowlers - that's his style (remember WI), and nothing wrong with it for the first match.
Dada, Laxman or Yuvi...no matter what their lead-up performances are like,rest assured, Dravid will announce his true decision only at the toss-up on the first day. He likes to take all things into consideration, including the match day conditions.
Laxman needs to be in, Saurav gives a bowling edge and Yuvi, sadly, continues to be at sea against spinners in the longer version...and now even England have an attacking spinner of note after Derek Underwood! Monty'll dance all around Yuvi and gobble him up when he's tired of toying with him.
One-day is different for Yuvi...unfortunately, all the time he spent with the Indian team bench alongwith Kaif, kept him away from cricketing education in the longer version at the domestic level.
Posted by: Ramesh on 07/13/2007
Looking at the team performances in the warm up games and considering past records in England, we have to make sure we field our best team out there. My pick would be karthik, Yuvraj, Sachin, Sourav, Dravid, Laxman, Dhoni,Zaheer, Sreesanth, Powar and Kumble. This way we play our strengths which has to be batting, and also have our best bowlers on show. The fifth bowler option will have to be filled by Yuvi, Sachin, Sourav, hopefully they wont have much work to do. To me, this is the best mix of talent, experience and fitness.
Posted by: G.Sen on 07/13/2007
India should play with Kartik,Dravid, Tendulkar, Laxman, Yuvraj, Dhoni,Zaheer, Sreesanth,Rp Singh,Kumble and Powar. If they want to win, that should be the option. Ganguly as 12th man is the proper choice.
Posted by: Soulberry on 07/14/2007
Jaffer needs to be out. he scored yet another under-five single digit score. Par for course I'd say for him.
Posted by: Pratik on 07/14/2007
In the ideal scenario, Yuvraj shud have his chance next series onwards, and Ganguly should turn in a stellar performance in the England tour and then hang his boots gracefully. His time has come.
Posted by: Ram on 07/17/2007
I'm a little fed-up with comments pouring in about Dhoni's place in the team. Every leading team (except England, till now) has a permanent wicket keeper, regardless of his proficiency in England-like conditions. Just because AB Devilliers is in the side, Mark Boucher's place wasn't threatened; neither was Tharanga a threat for Sangakarra, and so on. We need to put our faith in Dhoni as being our wicketkeeper/batsman for the next decade or so. He's young, energetic, courageous, exciting with the bat, and has shown that he is mature enough to play a sensible, determined innings when the situation demands it. This tour of England will only improve him as both a batsman and a keeper; hiding him from the conditions and choosing Karthik will only hinder Dhoni's progress as a cricketer. Why give him the role of vice-captain in ODIs and then suddenly drop him for the testmatches? He's never been dropped before, and now is not the time. We would only be promoting an unhealthy rivalry between Karthik and Dhoni by choosing between the two.
Dhoni should stay, period. Karthik seems to me like he's a selfish player. He doesn't win you matches, he makes scores. I'm not sure he'll fare all that well against Harmison or Panesar either. He plays a wicketkeeper's game, filled with cuts, pulls and sweeps and Dhoni, though supposedly not as proficient with the bat, plays straight more often than not and has the ability to adapt greatly.
Dhoni's keeping has been splendid over the past year; he's taken more catches down the leg side than any other keeper I've observed this past year. He's shown a great knack for anticipation and reflex behind the stumps. His few fumbles in the lead-up games were no doubt owing to the doubts placed on him by the critics (who will never shut up, by the looks of things)
Dhoni stays.
Keep Karthik or discard him, who cares? You want to find a place for Yuvraj, drop Karthik or Jaffer. And for the idiot who suggested dropping Kumble, why don't you bury your head in sand and stay there for a while?
Karthik or Jaffer
Laxman (yeah, use him as an opener)
Dravid
Tendulkar
Ganguly
Yuvraj
Dhoni
Kumble
Khan
Sreesanth
RP Singh
Posted by: Harsha Reddy on 07/17/2007
if we play one wicket keeper i dont think he can open ,keep whole of one innings and come back and open,thats a disaster waiting to happen. I cant think of any keeper being that good over a period of 3-4 days ,it might affect one of batting or keeping
Posted by: sankar on 07/20/2007
Send Sachin to open the innings with karthik, we don't want anybody's personal record, if he is
grate then he should come forward himself and
open, even if he he fails it is not going to
harm anybody other than the man himself, afterall
he is playing for records not for the team.
Posted by: Omer Admani on 07/22/2007
On a vacation?
Posted by: Raj on 07/22/2007
Why wasnt Wasim Jaffer wearing the Indian crest on his helmet when he stepped out to bat for India in the 1st Test at Lords?
Since when do cricket players who represent India have a choice of whether they wear the Indian colours and this includes the Indian crest on the helmet?
It was a disgraceful act of indiscipline and must not be tolerated for team harmony and discipline.
Posted by: Raj on 07/22/2007
Why wasnt Wasim Jaffer wearing the Indian crest on his helmet when he stepped out to bat for India in the 1st Test at Lords?
Since when do cricket players who represent India have a choice of whether they wear the Indian colours and this includes the Indian crest on the helmet?
It was a disgraceful act of indiscipline and must not be tolerated for team harmony and discipline.
Posted by: Sam on 07/23/2007
Dhoni is ...in seaming conditions, but i do agree with that Ram fellow above, that he shud be kept in the team as a wicketkeeper, ignoring his contributions (or lack thereof) in the batting department. I don't like the idea of putting the undue pressure of opening as well as keeping wickets in a test match on Karthik.
Having said that, I believe Yuvraj deserves a place in the batting lineup, as do other younger players. So my suggestion is to have the four senior players in the team on a rotating basis, two for each match say, and persisting with Jaffer, Karthik, Dhoni and Yuvraj and another younger player who has shown talent but failed to be given enough oppurtunities. Or maybe strengthen the bowling department by bringing in Agarkar or Pathan, who have shown potential for batting in the past. People don't realise but having all four (Dravid, Tendulkar, Ganguly and Laxman) in the team at the same time can have serious consequences to the teams future development.
Posted by: Chetan on 07/23/2007
I am tabling statements of fact here -
1. Umpire on the bowling end declared Kevin Peterson was given out caught behind but waited to look at replays, also a message came in from the English team basis which the UMPIRE changed his mind on the decision. Simon Toufel was as mistaken as Billy Bowden when he declared Sehwag of India out LBW to a big inside edge. However, Indian Sehwag was penalised while Englishman Peterson is allowed to bat on & the match referee who is paid to ensure that cricketers who violate ICC's code of conduct are penalised has probably "forgotten" to do his job in the Peterson & England Dressing room instance. ICC will take no action against this man who has shown discrimination in favour of WHITE Englishmen.
2. In the 2nd innings, Peterson was in the 20's / 30's when he was "Fortunate" to be given not out to an LBW appeal from the Indian bowlers. To an identical ball & identical action from the batsman, Rahul Dravid of India was "unfortunate" to be given out in India's 2nd innings.
BCCI should simply resign their ICC membership on account of the fact that ICC's adjudicators always show discrimination against Indians. In order to meet contract requirements, we should only send school kids - hopefully - ICC's GODS will not have to rely on "human errors" from umpires to beat bloody brown indians.
Mukul - you should publish this as a statement of fact rather than backing ICC cheats by suppressing such facts.
Posted by: Khalid Arif Siddiqui, Jeddah - Saudi Arabia on 07/23/2007
The post world cup slogan was to invest in youngsters and look towards future. Despite all the hype created on young blooding the side we ind the Tendulkars, Gangulys an Laxmans in the side, this leads me to think that time is nor far enough when we may have to recall Manjhrekars, Azhars and Vengsarkars.
It is a pity really to see that Tendulkar, Sehwag, Ganguly and Lazman being sellected ahead of budding youngsters despite the fact that thgeir performances in the last couple of years does not justify it. Team India will keep performing below the expectations of the people unless India gets rid of these paper tigers out of the team.
I hope the sellectors in India rethink their plan and do justice to the responsibilities assigned to them.
Posted by: Rajagopalan on 07/24/2007
Very recently i saw an email from a friend wherein there was a calculation of man-hours on how productive we are and why india wasnt progressing.. a considerable part of calculations was ANTI-Govt. blaming the Govt Employee class as not working - i had an instant feeling of substituting that category with us (the comment writers on this and similar sites) - pondering and going out of our way to suggest and come up with ideas which no one has ever paid heed to! Pity on Indian cricket, esp on the officials and then the players, who now look being supported by Rain-Gods too.. denying England the much deserving victory!!
Posted by: srivathsan on 07/24/2007
It is high time india thinks in terms of players in form rather than their past records.Gautam gambir should have been in the team.Laxman has passed his time.You cant keep a batsman for one or two beautiful shots but haas no capacity to play for long when the team needs.Same thing applies to sachin also.We lack courage to drop him & it is a pity.For the next match yuvraj sould replace laxman & a substitute found for wasim.It is high time that dravid should stay at crease Though he was unlucky to be given out in the 2nd innings.Only if he stands we can hope to post a good & challenging total .You cannot depend any body in the team to carry on the innings , of corse dhoni did it in 2nd innigs.
Posted by: deepak on 07/24/2007
What do they do now....when Dhoni, karthik and Jaffer all got runs and the all other SUPERDUPER STARS got stunned, though Laxman was ok in second innings.....
what about the line up for next test.....
here's my go.....I keep Karthik and Jaffer, Dravid and 10dulkar in as well, Number 5 Laxman then Yuvi and then Dhoni,
Ganguly looks unfit and unsure against pacers and that too against medium pacers.....remeber he was holding his back after onlyscoring 5-6 runs in first innings and showing signs as if he is in MIGHTY BIG trouble.....I always feel that ganguly shows off his pain too much, which cause two things mentally...the opposition sniffs a psychological victory seeing the senior pro writhing in Pain and secondly it doesn't set a good example for the rest of the team and youngsters seeing him behave this way often......
Now question also concerning who can handle monty convincingly then?
Yuvi HAS to be a regular in the side now, c'oz he is too precious a talent to be tasted like the way he is been treated these days.....
Bowling looks ok to me though I must say, RP surprised me really with his peformance....good on him.......
Posted by: Rajesh on 07/25/2007
A shake-up is needed in the batting line-up. If Ganguly is hurt, the selection becomes a little simpler. Yuvraj certainly gets in and I also think we should play Gambhir in place of Jaffer. The order should be
Having a left hander at the top will be useful. We also need to take the attack to the English bowlers. Let's not let them dominate and play under pressure all the time. Yuvraj and Gambhir are better suited for that. Dravid at number five will provide some security to the top order and we have chances of some good Dravid/Laxman or Dravid/Dhoni partnerships. And please no more threats to Dhoni. He has earned his job. Let him play his natural game.
Posted by: Vipul on 07/26/2007
It does not matter what you all think, india will play with same cricketers in thier next tour to England.
Posted by: Sarma on 08/18/2007
India should have 5 specialist batsmen, 1 specialist wicket keeper, 2 great all rounders and 3 specialist bowlers always. I think that the specialist batsmen are: Dravid, Jaffer, Ganguly Tendulkar and Kaif. The wicket keeper should be Karthik. The bowlers should be: Zaheer, Anil and RP Singh. The all rounders should be Irfan Pathan and Sreesanth.
Posted by: Paris on 07/22/2008
Hi all! Very good website. Thank you owner! This site the best!
Mukul Kesavan teaches social history for a living and writes fiction when he can. He's keen on the game but in a non-playing way. With a top score of 14 in neighbourhood cricket and a lively distaste for fast bowling, his credentials for writing about the game are founded on a spectatorial axiom: distance brings perspective. Kesavan's book of cricket - 'Men in White' (now there's a coincidence) published by Penguin India is now available in bookstores.
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