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Selector: Congrats on the Golden Ball, but can you bat?
Ashwin: Yes I can bat, I have two first class hundreds…
Selector: That’s first class cricket, everyone has runs in first class cricket, how have you fared in internationals…
Ashwin: I’ve played one one-dayer, made 38…
Selector: Only one one dayer, that’s not much to go by…you know we’re looking for a bowling allrounder…like Bhajji…and Bhajji is already in the team
Ashiwn: OK
Selector: So please talk to me when you have played more internationals and we will consider you for selection then…
Ashwin: How will I do that?
Selector: On the sheer weight of your performances, you will come knocking on our door..
Ashwin: I’m first a bowler
Selector: That’s what, everyone is a bowler these days…you have to work on your batting…look at Piyush Chawla…he top scored today against Australia…an international side…you speak with him and yeah, Bhajji…you know Bhajji has worked on his batting at the cost of his bowling…he is that selfless a player…when you improve your batting, ok, understand…
(Phone rings)
Selector nods away as he speaks to his colleague
Selector (continues speaking to Ashwin): Areh, why didn’t you tell me, you have taken 13 wickets in internationals in T20 Champions League…you have very good international experience…and your IPL numbers are good too…very good…you will be in the team very soon..but don’t forget your batting, ok beta, thanks for coming beta..
Ashwin’s interview with a selector
The Ins & Outs of India’s ODI selection Continued
You read about the Outs here, now how about the Ins
Jatman is in. And he brings with him his various avatars of Viru and Sehwag and Virender, there’s more to both the cricketer and the individual. In a few days he will be 31, wonder what that means to him?
Yuvraj is in, so much for bowling all-rounders like Yusuf Pathan. It’s an ODI series, naturally Yuvi will bowl and bat high up, but I’m more interested where and how he will field?
Munaf Patel. He has his moments, then he has brainless ones too. In the Challenger he bowled a madcap over to last man, Dinda. Two nothing short balls, 2 and 4 runs. He lost it, his team lost it too. Then when Dinda wanted to shake hands, he walked past, lifting shirt high enough to wipe brow sweat. It wasn’t a pretty sight. Then Munna returned the following day, and blew MSD’s India Blue apart. If there’s one lesson here, don’t save Munna for the slog overs. Better still, don’t save him. Spend all ten of him on the trot. Otherwise he gets the trots.
More than Munna the bowler, I like Munna the batsman – frankly he’s the only exciting batsman in the team. I’ve said so before, here – even against Mendis when the team was clueless, he swept with élan. The other day he played an ugly one handed sweep, it was breathtaking. He has it in him to the ugliest, most effective lower order slogger. Way uglier than Bhajji.
Ravindra Jadeja: Hope he gets his share of chances and converts. Hope, like him, another kid from Saurashtra gets a break too – where are you Che? Jadeja is only twenty, don’t hold that aginst him – give him as many chances as Yusuf, if not more – Jadeja bowls left arm spin, bats middle order and plays for the Rajasthan Royals. Who’s next, Warne?
Sudeep Tyagi – like the look of this 22 year old kid, esp. when he sends it down those 22 yards. Hope fitness isn’t a Catch 22 for him, and the Challenger is a pointer to bigger things to come. Be good to see a new quick like Tyagi make it, make the likes of RP, Ishant think more about their bowling now in their 20s. Can’t have everyone realising potential when they’re 30 plus. Jitu and Zaks are enough.
The Ins & Outs of India's ODI selection
Outs: Rahul Dravid, Dinesh Karthik, Yusuf Pathan, RP Singh, Abhishek Nayar
First the outs - Yusuf Pathan (OO7*) who has made first and second ball ducks an art form should be dropped from his family team. I can’t see Irfan bowling to him anymore, where’s the challenge. For Yusuf it’s back to book cricket with the sisters.
If you watched Yusuf’s application in the Challenger final, you’d want him to stop playing cricket in ads too. It was a resplendent second ball duck. He came in at 5 for nothing and by the second ball, he was ready to explode – wanted to hit a six, instead a lofted drive to mid off. Catching practise made sleazy.
I won’t miss Yusuf, but the scorers will - he gave them a lazy time.
Dinesh Karthik (DKNY): He wasted form and good starts, from the Caribbean where a hundred was up for grabs to wherever else injuries to others took him. On closer observation, it appears DKNY was injured too. MSD hurt him. He is that touchy, playing with MS just doesn’t agree with him. Look at him with the Daredevils, you’d think he was India’s first choice batsman keeper. But he’s born for the little leagues till MSD shoots himself in the foot.
RP Singh: To watch him bowl in the last few months has been rough. Both line and length fell apart, evidently he never read McGrath’s book by that name. He was born to play for the Deccan Chargers. India happened by accident. He still talks of that in-swinger that got KP, it’s the only good ball he ever bowled for India.
Abhishek Nayar: Hey, was he in the team? Didn’t see him, but then neither did MS.
Rahul Dravid: Nobody knows how he got in. So how will you know how he got out? Be terribly funny if he scores big and fast for BRC in the next few games. The other day Dravid talked funny in a game taking digs at his own fielding. It was good except he said mate more than Greg Chappell said mate. Not a good sign on national television. The word was out, ‘he is not one of us!’ He was check mated.
*In his fledling ODI career Yusuf now has 7 ODI ducks to his name. Of course, it would be more, but who's counting.
Next the Ins.
