Cricket: Indian selectors stretch the limits of logic

By RICHARD BOOCK

Contrary to popular opinion, it's not so much the Indian players as the Indian selectors who are attracting all the attention on the eve of the tour to New Zealand.

Not for the first time in recent years, the Indians are set to arrive with a batting line-up to die for, but with some serious question marks over their bowling attack and the balance of their squad.

It was much the same story in 1998-99, when they complemented a sparkling batting line-up with a mostly harmless bowling attack, including a couple of experimental selections in Debashish Mohanty and Robin Singh jnr.

This time, the selectors seem to have stretched the boundaries of logic even further, opting to include two wicketkeepers and three opening batsmen for a two-test series.

There was also the non-selection of veteran paceman Javagal Srinath and the unavailability of leading spinner Anil Kumble, losses which will only serve to place more pressure on the tourists when the first test starts at Wellington on December 12.

Kumble, who withdrew for personal reasons, will almost certainly return for the seven-match one-day international series, but the omission of Srinath was inexplicable.

Not so long ago the selectors were virtually begging him to make himself available for the series against the West Indies, and now they cannot find a place for him in the top 16, despite his well-known potency in New Zealand conditions.

Former Indian opening batsman Kris Srikkanth said he was shocked at Srinath's omission and questioned the selectors' motives for announcing that he had been "rested."

"These days the selectors have come up with a new term called 'resting,' but if they had the guts they wouldd come right out and say that he had been dropped.

"I can't understand the logic behind calling him out of retirement and then treating him so badly."

The good news for the Indian attack is that spearhead Zaheer Khan has recovered from the shin injury that sidelined him for the ODI series against the West Indies, and will almost certainly open the bowling at Wellington with either fellow left-armer Ashish Nehra or established seamer Ajit Agarkar.

The recalled Tinu Yohannan and opening batsman Sanjay Bangar, who has the ability to chime in with his medium pace, will lend support.

Having left Kumble at home, the tour selectors will look to off-spinner Harbhajan Singh for profit on turning surfaces and, if they feel conditions suit, could also whistle in recalled left-arm spinner Murali Karthik.

For all that, quite what the selectors were thinking when they included Ajay Ratra as a second wicket keeper is not yet known, but his is unlikely to receive a chance to play ahead of Parthiv Patel, and Rahul Dravid could have easily covered for injury.

The case for opening batsman Shiv Sundar Das also proved debatable, particularly as India already had two established openers in Virender Sehwag and Bangar, and plenty of flexibility within their order should a reshuffle be required.

It might be that the tour to New Zealand was seen as a good opportunity for experimentation, but India, after all, have not won a test series outside the subcontinent since 1986, and the faithful are starting to lose patience.

Srikkanth, about as straightforward with his comments as he was with his batting, bemoaned the lack of judgment in the selections.

They had, he said, raised a lot of questions in India, not to mention a few million eyebrows.

"Simply put, the selection of this side has left a lot to be desired."

The tour starts with a game against the Max Blacks in Christchurch on Wednesday.