‘It was a left-handed compliment’

A player is as good as his last match, goes the saying. But Dinesh Mongia is perhaps wondering whether the saying has any truth in it.

A player is as good as his last match, goes the saying. But Dinesh Mongia is perhaps wondering whether the saying has any truth in it. Or, for that matter, whether in Indian cricket, performance is the lone criterion for selection.

In his last one-day International, he played a gritty knock when India were struggling. Made 41 off 89 balls in the match in which India’s famous batting line-up collapsed to the South African bowling for a paltry 200 in 50 overs at Centurion. After that innings, he possibly thought, he was consolidating his position in the team as a batsman.

But destiny (read Indian cricket board and selectors) had other plans chalked out for him. He was dropped from the Indian team. As Mongia sat on the pool side, talking to The Indian Express at the Motera on the eve of North’s Deodhar Trophy match aginst Central Zone, he broke his silence, and spoke about the frustration of being left out of the Indian squad.

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“I never saw it coming. After playing that innings, how could anyone imagine that I would be dropped from the team given my performance with the bat and the ball whenever I got the chance? I never thought of it. To be dropped was very disappointing,” said Mongia.

“I was, in fact, thinking of making my debut in Test cricket. I want to play well for India under all conditions, but provided people treat me well. The management ands selectors need to help me build my confidence. I was never sure of my position in the team even after playing well,” the North Zone captain added.

It was not the first time that the southpaw has been treated shabbily. Even after scoring a 38-ball 55 not out against South Africa in a tri-series in Bangladesh in 2003, he was shown the exit door.

“At the tournament I averaged more than 50 at No. 7. And yet I was dropped. In the last four ODIs, I averaged more than 40, even then I am here. I don’t know why I have been meted out such treatment. You need to ask the selectors,” Mongia said.

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Perhaps the reason lies somewhere else. In the one-dayer against Australia at Kuala Lumpur, soon after making a comeback to the national team, he scored 63 not out and India lost the match chasing 213. The Indian innings folded up at 195 with 37 balls remaining and experts then criticised his knock, saying he played for himself, and not for the team.They said he exposed the tailenders to the Aussie attack when he could have easily shielded them.

“Yes, a lot of people talk about that. But I never needed to play any big shots. We just had to pick singles to win that match. Thirteen runs were needed from about 40 balls. And boss, if just two wickets are left, I can’t help but let the tail play the last two or three balls of the over. But unfortunately people look at it differently,” said Mongia.