Kiran More and the Men in Blue

HAVE MORE AND CO. GOT IT RIGHT THIS TIME?
By Akshay A. Kalbag
The Indian cricket team is still smarting under the 1-4 defeat at the hands of Brian Lara’s West Indians in the recent five-match One-day series in the Caribbean. Guru Greg and his dependable chela Dravid are busy fine-tuning the skills of the rusty Indian side, a team that seems to have forgotten to win after the fantastic performances against South Africa, Sri Lanka and England at home, Pakistan in their backyard and in Abu Dhabi. Chappell, who loves to experiment and conduct innovative practice sessions, even introduced the rigours of commando training for the ‘Men in Blue’ prior to India’s next tournament, the triangular One-day series in Sri Lanka in mid-August, also featuring South Africa. The fifteen-member squad has been picked, but the million-dollar question is: Have Kiran More and Co. got the combination right this time?
The following are the profiles of the fifteen guinea pigs (sorry, players) selected to represent the country in the Emerald Isle after the strenuous experiments conducted by coach Greg Chappell and skipper Rahul Dravid in their ‘laboratory’ (read: the training camp.) These are the men whom India is hoping for a better performance in Sri Lanka following the disastrous tour of the West Indies:
Rahul Dravid (captain): The prize scalp for bowlers the world over, ‘the Wall’ is entrusted with the monumental task of ushering in a new era in the history of Indian cricket along with Chappell. He is the Atlas of the team, a man who doesn’t seem to be bothered too much by the enormous weight of responsibility, authority and accountability he is carrying upon his shoulders following the departure of former coach John Wright and the Ganguly saga. Technically sound, he is a dangerous batsman at No. 3 in both forms of the game and is a good fielder and occasional wicket-keeper. Fans can expect runs (ban)galore from the skipper’s blade as long as he is at the crease.
Virender Sehwag (vice-captain): Dravid’s deputy, Viru has come a long way from being a Tendulkar clone, and is now enjoying his new role at the top of the order alongside his idol. The swashbuckling opener from Najafgarh will look to get some runs under his belt after his recent slump in form in the One-day game. Let us hope the man who believes in standing and delivering unleashes an explosive display of ‘Delhi’cious shots!
Sachin Tendulkar: He’s back after a long lay-off, and India fans are hoping it’s with a bang! Not too long ago, Sachin was a patient, now he must be impatient to get some runs on the board. The ‘Bombay Bomber’ is the senior pro in the Indian side, and a bona-fide all-rounder to boot. His bowling cannot be classified into any category as he does it all, plus he is a safe fielder. The Lanka tourney marks the return of cricket’s answer to ‘Chhota Chetan’, a three-dimensional team man to the core.
Yuvraj Singh: The dashing left-hander was in great form on the West Indies tour. A perfect blend of an experienced senior cricketer (Yuvraj is now into his sixth season of international cricket) and a youth exuding boyish charm and enthusiasm, he gives his 100 per cent, whether he is batting, bowling or fielding. Bowlers, get your sunglasses out, the harsh ‘Yuvi’ rays are too powerful for your liking! A useful part-time slow left-armer and a good fielder in the Jonty Rhodes mould.
Mohammed Kaif: Much like the original ‘angry young man’ of numerous Bollywood hits of the 1970’s, Amitabh Bachchan (who, incidentally, also happens to be from Kaif’s hometown of Allahabad), Kaif is now on a rampage, and his mind is set to avenge the injustice done to him by the selectors. A hare between the wickets, a dynamo in the field and a quiet, unassuming and committed performer is the best way to sum up the remarkable Mohammed Kaif. From the looks of it, the young man has a bright future. Let’s hope his career keeps shooting UP!
Suresh Raina: To rephrase the lyrics of an evergreen Hindi film number of yesteryears: ‘Ek batsman mila re, Bareilly ke ek ground pe’. Raina is the baby of the Indian side at the tender age of 19, but appears mature beyond his years. He is the third part of a deadly combo of dangerous middle-order batsmen and terrific fielders, along with Yuvraj and Kaif. He played some brief but important knocks at crucial stages for the country on this winter’s tour of Pakistan. This is a golden opportunity for him to cement his place in the Indian One-day squad.
Dinesh Mongia: This tournament will see the return of Dinesh Mongia to the Indian team after a gap of more than one-and-a-half years. The southpaw from Chandigarh was busy preparing for his big chance by hitting tall scores consistently for the county side Leicestershire in the English domestic championship this season. After being ‘left’ [no pun(jab) intended] out of the Indian team for so long, the Indian fans hope they can count(y) on him for a good performance in the ODIs in Sri Lanka.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wicket-keeper): The long-haired stumper from Jharkhand has managed to impress the likes of the Pakistani president, but will he deliver the goods in Lanka? He must make amends for his woeful form with the bat on the recent tour of the Caribbean, which did affect his confidence level a great deal. But if he wants to keep his place in the Indian side and not give his competitors for the keeper’s slot – Parthiv Patel and Dinesh Karthik – a chance, he must ensure that his ‘Dhoni dho daala’ mantra continues to ring loudly and clearly in the Lankan bowlers’ ears. Here’s hoping Dhoni continues to keep Indian fans high on MSD!
Irfan Pathan: Baroda’s ace of pace has been a little out of sorts off-late, and the coach has reportedly said that Pathan is short of confidence. Along with Ajit Agarkar, he is the senior pro of the fast bowling attack and is also an all-rounder. But Irfan’s most endearing quality is his maturity and level-headedness at the relatively young age of 21. He has a bright future and will continue to be the darling of his (ir) fans, particularly those of the fairer sex, for a long time.
Harbhajan Singh: India’s (har) bhajans have been answered and the ‘Sardar’ of the off-break is on song again. Everybody is eagerly waiting for the day he tames the Sri Lankans in their own backyard. But the critics are equally quick to ‘singh’ a different tune when he is off-colour. Bhajji is the No. 1 off-spin bowler in the country, and a match-winner in his own right. Murali’s den might just be the chance for Harbhajan to prove that he is not the man to play the ‘doosra’ fiddle to any other offie.
Ramesh Powar: The second offie in the Indian squad adds value to the team, because he is capable of hitting a few lusty blows down the order. The Mumbai all-rounder can be a key figure for Team India at the World Cup in the West Indies in 2007, if he concentrates on his fielding and fitness. Powar has ‘powar’ed his way into the national team on the basis of his consistent form in the domestic championships for Mumbai, but he should not ‘waist’ (sorry, waste) his opportunities now. He bowls with a heart as big as his waistline.
Ajit Agarkar: The skinny Mumbaikar is a right-arm medium-pace bowler and right-handed batsman who played a key role in the recent One-day series in the Caribbean, despite the disastrous result for India. Let us all hope that Messrs More and Co. pick Agarkar for every One-day match from now on until the World Cup, so that he is both match-fit and confident. Their habit of playing musical chairs with the selection and the ‘agar’ and ‘magar’ (ifs and buts) has ensured that India has had less of Ajit and more of a haar in recent times.
S. Sreesanth: Sree is no Sant (h), but an aggressive, young fast bowler from Kerala whose celebratory dance after getting a wicket on the Pakistan tour would give Michael Jackson a run for his money. His first name – Shanthakumaran – is quite a mouthful but his personality is anything but shant (quiet). In fact, he is a restless, pumped-up pacer, raring to go to Sri Lanka and have a ball! He lists reading as one of his passions, but here’s hoping the Lankan and Springbok batsmen find it difficult to read his deliveries, resulting in wickets and victories for India!
Munaf Patel: India’s quickest bowler, Patel is prone to making the same mistakes that most Indian pacers have committed on several occasions–not being able to bowl a tidy line and length or bowling it too short, giving the batsmen time to play their shots. He must be careful while facing the dangerous Sri Lankan trio of Sanath Jayasuriya, Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, who are in top form at the moment. The selectors deserve a pat (el) on the backs for keeping their faith in the young man from Gujarat. It’s now time for some Patel rap! If he fails, the carping critics will be out there with their sharp knives, and scream, “Munaf (sorry, enough) is enough!”
Rudra Pratap Singh: The latest in a long assembly line of left-arm seamers produced by India in recent years, R.P. (as he is known) is the third member of a trio of relatively inexperienced fast bowlers in the squad, apart from Sreesanth and Munaf Patel. The interesting thing about R.P. Singh is that he hails from a small town in Uttar Pradesh, which shows that if the talent-hunters are determined to go the extra mile and traverse the length and breadth of the country, instead of just preferring to focus on picking youngsters from urban India, they will come across such raw and talented lads as Rudra Pratap Singh, whom they can groom to fill up the boots of the likes of Zaheer Khan, Irfan Pathan and Ashish Nehra. We need a talent-spotter who can catch them young, and who has the knack of taking the rudra (sorry, rudder) into his own hands, (pra) tapping their immense but unexplored potential and utilising (h) it when the opportunity knocks at their door.
If these guys continue to let us down, they’ll soon be making way for players of the calibre of Sourav Ganguly, V.V.S. Laxman, Anil Kumble, Zaheer Khan, Murali Kartik, Ashish Nehra and Laxmipathy Balaji. Let’s hope for a good show from the Indians in Lanka and all the forthcoming competition leading up to the mega event – the World Cup, to be held in the Caribbean in March-April 2007!