Flying out with comeback hopes

Sourav Ganguly will tax his body for two months on the county circuit, try and get headlines first from England and later by playing the domestic circuit at home to fancy his comeback chances. With other fallen-out-of-favour teammates8212;Zaheer Khan Leicestershire and Ashish Nehra Surrey or Glamorgan8212; for company, the profile of an Indian export in the English county has changed this season.

Owing to the hectic international calendar, the current India stars have no time for the lucrative county stint this time. But hasn8217;t sent the market in a depression, since the demand from England is met by a supply of high-profile 8217;formers8217; desperate for a summer in England to revive their international career. The economics have certainly changed, as a county regular former India star says. 8216;8216;There was a time when an Indian player had a heavy price tag but now since it is the player who needs the county more, the power to negotiate has vanished,8217;8217; he says wishing anonymity.

But for the multi-endorsed and highly played Indian professionals it is not about pay cheques but the opportunity to rub shoulders with the top players and test their skills against the best. As Ganguly says, 8216;8216;The kind of opposition one gets to play against in the first division county circuit in England is quite competitive.8217;8217;

Murali Kartik, who had a successful stint with Lancashire last season, but will have to give England a miss this time around because of injury, calls county cricket 8216;8216;closest to international cricket. 8216;8216;If one is not playing international cricket then the domestic cricket England is the best option. One can end up playing against a side that has Andrew Flintoff, Aliaster Cook, James Anderson, Sajid Mahmood, the Flower brothers, Stuart Law, Andrew Symonds. So it8217;s plain international cricket,8221; he says.

For someone like Nehra, who is fighting a fitness battle, the county circuit provides a golden opportunity to test himself. 8220;It8217;s a great challenge. The games are serious, quality of players is high and the different playing conditions add to the excitement. In my case I can also asses my fitness. As I get to play more matches and bowl lengthy spells, I can realistically stake a claim to be included for the Sri Lanka tour,8221; says Nehra.

But the big question is: Can players always replicate their form at home after successful county stints? There are no fixed answers, since there are some who have returned as better players while an equal number have failed to reproduce their county form.

Test opener Wasim Jaffer vouches that it was the time spent in the first division England league that saw him take the big U-turn. 8220;The fact that you8217;re paid to play, there is a certain responsibility that comes with it. As a player, one carries a certain reputation and that means one is expected to shoulder responsibility. With all that performances do start showing at some point of time. There is also enough time to sort out the flaws in your skills,8217;8217; he says.

But another Test opener Aakash Chopra hasn8217;t been able to check in into India with his county form intact. Over to Chopra, who has several English League records against his name but hasn8217;t been able to make a comeback to the national side. 8216;8216;Playing first class cricket anywhere in the world matters.

Still, performing good cannot guarantee you sure-shot success in domestic or international cricket. For that matter, there8217;s never anything like sure-shot success in cricket. But one thing is sure, scoring in alien conditions and competitive environment adds to the confidence,8221; he says.

But between the cases like Jaffer and Chopra there is the unique success story of former India all-rounder Dinesh Mongia. Sidelined from the national side after a modest 2003 World Cup, Mongia is a much sort-after player on the county circuit. He was a regular first XI player for Lancashire last year and this time has led his new county Leicestershire in a few games. Ask him if at end of very successful day on the county circuit, does he feel a bit hollow. 8216;8216;Not really,8217;8217; says the left-hander from Punjab. 8220;You need to keep playing to be in the reckoning. There are players who8217;re hired for a certain amount of money because of their abilities. They make the competition stronger and therefore, performing against them should certainly count,8217;8217; he says.

That is something Mongia8217;s three other 2003 World Cup teammates8212;Ganguly, Nehra, Zaheer8212;will also be desperately hoping as they toil in alien conditions hoping to catch the selectors attention before the big event in 2007.

But the final word has to be from the selectors. Do county performances matter? A selector on the condition of anonymity says, 8220;Performances at a competitive level, no matter where, are always taken into account. But the requirement of our national team is our first priority,8217;8217; he says.