Back in the hunt?

It was interesting to sit alongside Dilip Vengsarkar, the chairman of selectors, this afternoon and watch...

It was interesting to sit alongside Dilip Vengsarkar, the chairman of selectors, this afternoon and watch the India 8216;A8217; top-order struggle against the visiting Australian 8216;A8217; side at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore.

The hosts, batting first, had been reduced to 90-4 and the batsmen who disappointed were the ones who, in recent times, had caught the selectors8217; eye with their domestic performances. S Badrinath, the latest entry into the national one-day side, Parthiv Patel, who Vengsarkar thought had done enough to regain a Test berth, and Ajinkya Rahane, the Mumbai opener who the selector has often put his weight behind 8212; between them managed 29 runs.

India 8216;A8217; were in as much trouble as they could8217;ve been before Mohammad Kaif, not anywhere near the top of Vengsarkar8217;s list of probable comeback men, came to the side8217;s rescue.

Kaif, last season8217;s fourth highest run-getter, made his way to a neat 68 and, along with Delhi opener Virat Kohli, coming up with a 90-run partnership for the fifth wicket as India 8216;A8217; ended the day at 180 for four in the 60 overs possible after start of play was delayed until 1.30 following overnight rains.

As the bails were removed and Vengsarkar started making his way out of the stadium, it was tempting to ask what he8217;d seen of the players that make India8217;s talent pool, their performances that day and Kaif8217;s batting. 8220;Nothing specific,8221; is all he said.

8220;Nothing was going right for us from the beginning and we kept losing wickets early,8221; said skipper Badrinath after the day8217;s play.

Kaif last played a Test match in 2006, on the tour of West Indies and the road ahead remains hard, considering the number of batsmen 8212; Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina and Badrinath, for starters 8212; have lined themselves up for a probable Test berth. The fact that he has played just 13 Tests is a reflection both of his inability to make the most of his chances as well as India8217;s middle-order strength over the last few years.

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However, that middle-order will not last forever and given Vengsarkar8217;s 8212; and Indian selectors in general of late 8212; penchant to go with players in form, he might just find himself in the race for a spot in the national team again. And bailing out the A side against a tough opposition attack is as good place to start as any.

Scoreboard

INDIA A

R Uthappa c Casson b McGain 34b, 3215;4 22

A Rahane c Ronchi b Bollinger 12b, 1215;4 6

P Patel lbw b McGain 25b, 2215;4 13

S Badrinath b McGain 53b, 1215;4 10

M Kaif not out 148b, 10215;4, 1215;6 68

V Kohli not out 101b, 4215;4, 1215;6 48

Extras Lb-1, Nb-12 13

Total 4 wickets; 60 overs 180

FoW: 1-20 Rahane, 4.4, 2-46 Patel, 10.3, 3-48 Uthappa, 12.2, 4-90 Badrinath, 28.5

Bowling: D Bollinger 13-4-37-1, A Noffke 11-2-38-0, B McGain 17-5-51-3, P Siddle 10 -4-16-0, B Casson 1-0-7-0, M North