India look to clear the mist of confusion

If Sachin misses the First Test, both Aakash Chopra and Yuvraj Singh should get a look-in. If he’s fit, one of them will make it. And in Kolkata today, Sourav Ganguly said whichever of the two performed better in Bangalore would make the cut.

Down and out since the Pakistan tour, Chopra’s shoulder injury, sustained while on tour with India ‘A’ in Africa, is just coming into shape. So after his okay showing in the Irani Trophy last week, the Delhi opener has one last chance to throw his hand up when the new National selectors meet on Friday in this garden city.

What is most refreshing is the urgency shown by the juniors — Mohammed Kaif, Dinesh Mongia and Sridharan Sriram — who were among the first to arrive in the city and eager to impress the selectors for a place in the squad, if not the final XI.

Parthiv Patel will also be watching over his shoulder, despite his inclusion in the new contracts list, and keeping an eye on Dinesh Kaarthick and Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

But all this could come to nought, though, if the Bangalore weather plays truant. Just two days ago there was a spell of heavy rain that left the garden city completely drenched but thankfully did not affect the wicket at the M Chinnaswamy stadium. Most of Monday was clear but the rain resumed quite heavily at night.

Head curator Narayan Raju and his assistant Sriram Kasturirangan have been hard at work over the last 28 days. The duo have been tending two wickets —one for the First Test, starting October 6, and the other just being a ‘‘back-up’’.

‘‘It is a two-year-old wicket so there is no danger whatsoever. Despite being told about this match just three days ago, we were ready’’, a visibly tired Sriram told The Indian Express after a hard days’ toil.

Sriram, son of former BCCI chief curator G Kasturirangan, predicts a ‘‘sporting’’ wicket, which will surely be music to the ears of the likes of Sehwag and VVS Laxman.

So will Bangalore lay out their finest for Aussies too? ‘‘We don’t know’’, said Sriram. ‘‘As of now we have received no instructions for the Test wicket, maybe we will do so in the next couple of days.’’

Skipper Ganguly, expected to arrive late on Monday night, can be expected to have final say on that