With three matches to go in the on-going Natwest trophy, India’s quest for a complete all-rounder is still on. Indian team has underperformed in all the four ODIs so far and their batsmen have let them down yet again. The team filled with super stars faces deficiency in their batting line up, killer instinct in their bowling department and their fielding is no where near international standards.
The impact of pyjama cricket has resulted in batsmen easily manage 300 runs in single day of a test match. A decade back a score of 225 was considered to be a challenging one in the limited version but today teams easily chase 350 plus totals. If you carefully look at the transformation that the game has undergone you would notice that batsmen at No.7 & 8 have contributed far more with bat and ball than it was in early days of cricket.
Today teams like England, Australia, Sri Lanka and South Africa play with eight batsmen and six bowlers who can do the job at any given time. For England, this summer, contributions from Stuart Broad, Ravi Bopara has been outstanding in all departments. And not to mention Paul Collingwood and Andrew Flintoff, they have always delivered when it most mattered. The former has been their mainstay for the past two years and the later has a big heart and fires every time with bat and the ball. Stuart Broad batting at number eight has the ability to hold the crease and also to hit some boundaries at will. England’s fielding is a big plus, especially in this series against India. They managed to save nearly 30 to 40 runs every match because of their eye-catching field work.
Looking at the other side, India was clearly outplayed in three of the four matches played so far and the absence of a complete all-rounder has exposed the team under the bad light. The only match they won at Bristol was a narrow escape by nine runs after scoring a mammoth 329 was over shadowed by the brilliance of Dimitri Mascarenhas with the bat as the required run rate was reaching the sky. This just proves the importance of having a quality all-rounder at number eight.
This same Indian team was highly successful in 2005 during which they even managed a record 17 successful chases in trot. The only difference now and then was the presence and the thriving performances of Irfan Pathan. Many looked and portrayed him as the next Kapil Dev in the making but that hope took a twist when he lost his rhythm completely. He is out of the team for nearly eight months now and his current performances in the African tour with the A side was not up to his potential.
There are not many in the wings to fill that slot either, and that is a huge concern for the team management as well as the selectors. Ramesh Powar and Piyush Chawla have not contributed with the bat and their failure has taken a big toll on the other members of the team. In the ODIs at Edgbaston and Old Trafford both these players failed to occupy the crease, to rotate singles and give the strike to Yuvraj on both those occasions and neither of them managed to clear the rope consistantly.
Ajit Agarkar still surprisingly considered to posses the all-round ability from selectors point of view has never managed to contribute significantly with the bat throughout his ten year career. He is one of those rarest breed of cricketers who has been consistent in being in and out of the team and probably has made the most number of comebacks!
Though Sachin, Sourav and Yuviraj provided India with the option of some slow bowling, they haven’t seen any success in this series so far. The trio have bowled 26 overs at an economy rate of 5.65 with just one wicket between them.
With India struggling to fit in six bowlers and players who can contribute some valuable runs at number 7 & 8, the presence of two wicket keepers in the side is to be questioned. It is accepted that keepers who can contribute well with the bat are considered to be an all-rounder but what is the point in keeping one as a specialist batsman when the team is in need of someone like Jacques Kallis. Taking no credit away from Dhoni and Karthik, I believe one of them should be dropped to accommodate someone who can bat and bowl well.
There are not many in the pipeline, though there are the likes of Praveen Kumar from Uttar Pradesh, who can bowl some good medium pacers and has the ability to vary his pace and can be handy at during the final overs. The other is the elder brother of Irfan Pathan, Yusuf who is an off spinner. Both these players are hard hitting batsmen. Yusuf has been provided with an opportunity to exhibit his talent and Irfan, a proven match winner has been provide with a comeback platform as Pathan brothers are set to tour South Africa for the Twenty20 World Cup this month. Praveen Kumar should consider himself unlucky to miss the flight but he can keep his hopes alive as India is set to play more ODIs in the days ahead.
The Natwest series might be decided today at Headingly but India should be prepared to look ahead and give many of these hopefuls a look in.
It’s high time that the selectors throw these talents in the deep as India is set to play more ODIs against Australia and Pakistan at home. There cannot be a better stage for these youngsters to prove themselves than their own backyard.
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