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Test team selection today

By Our Special Correspondent

Rajkot Oct. 3. Picking the Indian cricket team has always been tricky business in recent times for the selectors. There's always intrigue surrounding it with the five selectors, the captain and coach, laying primacy on the `balance' on most occasions, because specialists are deemed not be good enough to claim a place as their right.

The first job in hand for the selectors here on Saturday would be choose the squad, at least 14 to start with, for the first Test against New Zealand at Motera from October 8 to 12. Since the two Tests are going to be played back-to-back, the selectors might be requested to pick 15, taking into account the kind of surface that will be prepared for the second Test at Mohali.

It has been 10-months since the selectors chose a team for a Test series, for the two-Tests in New Zealand. The selection committee itself has changed, with former Indian stumper, Syed Kirmani, coming in for Brijesh Patel.

The change, however, is unlikely to bring about a fundamental change in the perception of the committee, which has been very concerned with the lack of a quality opening pair and injuries to seam bowlers.

The men who opened in the last seven Tests from the Trent Bridge Test last summer - Virender Sehwag and Sanjay Bangar - might still be retained. Early form has put Akash Chopra in the fray. But there are many others like Shiv Sundar Das, Gautam Gambhir and Sadagopan Ramesh, who batted with authority on Friday and will evoke some lengthy discussion.

Appointed captain for the series on Thursday, Sourav Ganguly has dropped clear hints of taking the field at Motera with five specialist batsmen, four bowlers, a bowler all-rounder and a wicketkeeper who can contribute with the bat too.

The five batsmen Ganguly has in his mind should be Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Venksatsai Laxman and himself. Bangar could fill in as the third seamer as a back up to Zaheer Khan and either Ajit Agarkar or Laxmipathi Balaji. Parthiv Patel should be an automatic choice to take the stumper's slot and play his first home Test. Needless to stress, the two spinners should be Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh.

The practice is always to pick the playing 11 first and thereafter the reserves. The selectors will have a basketful to fill up the remaining three or four berths. The aim would be to get the right combination that would click. Saturday's meeting will be the first important meeting that will initiate the process of determining the squad for the Test series in Australia.

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