Which way should India go?

In less than 48 hours, India's gladiators will walk into a wall of noise at cricket's Circus Maximus, bidding to stop a team that has been well nigh unstoppable in its last 14 Tests. With back-to-back series wins against England and Pakistan, India are in search of a unique treble, but realists will tell you that even a stalemate over the four Tests will see them acclaimed as the greatest Indian side of all.

The preparation couldn't have been worse, with just 48 overs against Victoria since their arrival in Australia a week ago. If things do go wrong, the Indian board's penchant for maximising revenue [12 one-day games against Australia and Pakistan] at the expense of preparing assiduously for the greatest challenge in sport [no team has left Australia victorious since the West Indies in 1992-93] will rightly be questioned. Now though is not the time to dwell on such negatives. Instead, India must make sure that the best XI makes it out on to the hallowed turf for the 100th Test at the oldest venue in the game.

Two big questions remain to be answered, one at the top of the batting order and another about the identity of the fourth bowler. Wasim Jaffer is certain to open, and the keenness to play Yuvraj Singh suggests that Rahul Dravid will join him in taking on the new ball. The other options are Dinesh Karthik and Virender Sehwag, but neither is likely to be included ahead of Yuvraj. Some would say there's a case for opening with Yuvraj, and leaving one of the great No.3s of all time at his favoured position, but against Australia your best chance of success is to play matchwinners. Yuvraj is certainly that, in addition to being a better fielder than either Karthik or Sehwag.

Opening with Dravid, certainly technically equipped for the task, might prove an inspired gamble if he's mentally prepared for it. Batsmen tend to be more creatures of habit than most, but as he showed at Kolkata in that never-to-be-forgotten Test match [he came in at No.6, with VVS Laxman promoted to No.3], there are few who can adapt as well to any situation. Against an Australian line-up that's three wins short of immortality, the team needs him to be the Great Wall of India again.

Provided Zaheer Khan's heel problems are behind him, he and RP Singh should be certain starters. There must be a temptation to utilise the allround talents of Irfan Pathan, but as a bowler, RP has been far more potent in recent times. The bad weather at the Junction Oval in the warm-up game also means that Pankaj Singh will have to wait for his chance. Ishant Sharma, who took that five-for against Pakistan in Bangalore, must surely start ahead of Harbhajan Singh, especially if the conditions continue to be wet and dreary.

After all the paper talk about unleashing four fast bowlers, Australia appear set to stick to the traditional formula of a spinner backing up three pace bowlers. That will mean picking one from Shaun Tait and Mitchell Johnson, and despite the visceral thrill that Tait's pace can provide, Johnson's left-arm offers a different angle of attack to Brett Lee and Stuart Clark. If India's batsmen have looked vulnerable in recent times, it's been against genuine pace and sharp bounce, whether that be against Shoaib Akhtar or Chris Tremlett [on the final day at Trent Bridge]. Boxing Day will offer the sternest possible test, but if a team of batting legends can ride the punches, we could be set fair for another epic series.

Here's hoping that the doosra's readers have a wonderful Christmas. See you on Boxing Day.

Comments

I still don't get it why all this talk of "yuvraj" has to play thing being said, when clearly he has a long way to go before he can be talked along the likes of ganguly's and laxman's; Dravid & Sachin are altogether on different plane. Well that said if the team management thinks that he deserves the place then so be it, and three left armers is asking for trouble so either Pankaj or Ishant but i think they won't risk throwing Pankaj into the Lion's den, so it got to be Ishant sharma for the fourth bowler part.
Here is for hoping a keenly contested contest and may the better team win.

[Ottayan]

The clamour to include Yuvraj is certain to derail our campaign.