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Journalism of Courage
VADODARA, AUG 6: The element of shock was limited after medical certificates ensured the exit of potential casualties in the first post-World Cup selection meet. The tried and tested Vinod Kambli, and MSK Prasad, the 23-year-old from Andhra with two One-Day International appearances to his credit, filled in the vacancy created by Mohammed Azharuddin and Nayan Mongia.
After a two-hour parley of the selection committee under the chairmanship of Ajit Wadekar, which also included the newly crowned skipper Sachin Tendulkar and manager Anshuman Gaekwad, the fifteen-member team for the tours of Sri Lanka and Singapore was announced.
With skipper Tendulkar opting to keep away from the press brief, chairman Wadekar faced a barrage of media queries, especially on Kambli’s inclusion and the sidelining of prolific domestic batsmen like Karnataka’s Vijay Bharadwaj and Jacob Martin of Vadodara. “With seasoned players like Azhar and Mongia unfit, Kambli’s experience would be ideal for the team. Moreover, Martin and Bharadwaj are young and their time will come,” he said. Leading Ranji Trophy scorers once again missed the bus which could have taken them to destination experience.
The logic was turned on its head for MSK Prasad’s inclusion. “We discussed Saba Karim’s name, but giving him the nod would mean going back. Prasad is young, had an impressive outing with the India A team on the tour to Pakistan,” Wadekar said.
Only the unfit proved to be the misfits. Wadekar justified the untouched World Cup team by saying, “we didn’t want to disturb the nucleus of the team.”
Pace bowler Ajit Agarkar’s disastrous England trip was overlooked as, according to the selection committee chairman, “it is normal for every player to go through a bad patch.”
Queries about left-arm spinner Sunil Joshi’s comeback were put to rest. “The spate of left-handers in Australia and Sri Lanka, the two teams India face in the tri-series, meant no place for Joshi’s comeback. Chopra stays.”
The matter that took maximum deliberation, according to Wadekar, was the almost non-existent lower-middle order. “Our tail has not been wagging for quite some time. I talked with the skipper and the manager to look into the matter,” he said.
Wadekar also ruled out that it was the end of the road for Azhar, but added that his selection will depend on the situation in future and “he will be considered as just another player.”
Keeping in mind Tendulkar’s call for more say in the selection process, Wadekar said with a smile, “He seemed happy.”
Coach Anshuman Gaekwad, whose contract expired after the World Cup, has been retained, so also team doctor Ravindra Chaddha. The manager for the tours will be announced later. The team will undergo a camp from August 16 to 18 and leave for Sri Lanka on August 19.
THE TEAM
Sachin Tendulkar (captain), Ajay Jadeja (vice-captain), Saurav Ganguly, Sadgopan Ramesh, Rahul Dravid, Vinod Kambli, Amay Khurasia, MSK Prasad (wicket-keeper), Robin Singh, Anil Kumble, Nikhil Chopra, Venkatesh Prasad, Javagal Srinath, Ajit Agarkar, Debashish Mohanty.
