The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Selectors may go in for third spinner

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Sport

Sport - Cricket

Selectors may go in for third spinner

Special Correspondent

Mumbai: Slow pitches so far seen in the first two-one day internationals at Jamaica may sway the national selectors to opt for a third spinner in Mumbai off-spinner Ramesh Powar for the four-Test series against the West Indies.

The selectors (Ranjib Biswal is in the West Indies as the manager) are happy with Powar's smart bowling and his ability to adapt himself in the international cricket.

Powar may get the nod at the expense of left-arm seamer Rudra Pratap Singh. Leg spinner Anil Kumble and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh are certainties in the spin department.

The move to pick three spinners, that would result in cutting the pace department to four, would be taken after consultation with captain Rahul Dravid and coach Greg Chappell. The four seamers in the side are Irfan Pathan, S. Sreeshanth, Munaf Patel and Ajit Agarkar.

Opening batsman Wasim Jaffer — cleared for the tour after a fitness Test here on Tuesday — and middle order Venkat Sai Laxman would return to the Test squad. Dinesh Kaarthick is likely to gain the second wicketkeeper's slot.

Andhra's Venugopala Rao, still a far cry from being seen as a Test match cricketer, would return home after the one-day series, but the selectors would find it tricky business to leave two out of the three batsmen in Robin Uthappa, Mohd. Kaif and Suresh Raina.

The legendary Sunil Gavaskar has always held a strong belief that a touring team must have a third specialist opener. India had three in Pakistan — Sehwag, Jaffer and Gautham Gambhir — but it was Dravid who opened the innings with Sehwag. The temptation to retain Uthappa must be high, but this might happen only if the selectors persuade the BCCI to accede to a 16-member squad.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail