Jaffer,the delightful Indian gaffer

Sunk deep into his heavily cushioned sofa,Wasim Jaffer indulges his teething daughter in his cozy living room.

Sunk deep into his heavily cushioned sofa,Wasim Jaffer indulges his teething daughter in his cozy living room. In the backdrop,the window opens into a well-maintained and very English backyard garden. Currently plying his elegant trade for the Himley Club in Birminghams Premier League,Jaffer is in the last month of his stay at the Midlands quaint and silent suburb Dudley,before he returns to Mumbais din.

The 33-year-old former opener is just an hours drive away from where the Indian cricketers are based for their tour game against Northamptonshire,but figuratively speaking,the distance between Jaffer and his former team mates is much more. The emergence of Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag as the best opening pair in the world resulted in the man with a Test average of 34 being neglected by the national selectors for the last few years. But before the West Indies tour last month,Jaffer thought that things might change.

With Viru and Gautam not fit for the Caribbean,I felt that I could be picked, he says. With an average of 44,and a double century,in the the West Indies,Jaffer had his reasons to be optimistic. It was very surprising to see that the team to England didnt have a third opener. Even if they had picked Parthiv Patel as the stand-in opener I would have understood, says Jaffer,unable to conceal his puzzled look.

I thought Id be called

While watching the 2000th Test on TV,Jaffer saw Gambhir getting hit while fielding at forward short-leg. I thought if it was fracture I would be called, says a candid Jaffer. He is more bewildered than bitter over the going-ons of the last few months but there are a few things that provide him reassurance. With India opening with Rahul Dravid in three of the four innings,there have been many in England who have been recalling the stylish opener who was part of the India-England series in 2007 series and his three 50s as well as several useful partnerships during that successful tour.

On BBCs Test Match Special,Jaffer was the main subject matter for the voice of cricket,Henry Blofeld. Former India captain and now commentator Sourav Ganguly too spoke about how Jaffer should have ideally been the first choice replacement opener in England.

Yes,people have sent me messages and it makes me happy. But I just wonder if a great captain like Sourav thinks like this,whats wrong with the selectors? I have scored runs everywhere, he says. That is an understatement. Just last week,Jaffer scored two 100s for his club to become the highest run-getter in the league. And for someone who has accumulated record figures in the last few years while playing for English clubs and back home in India,Jaffer is rightly miffed at being ignored.

Ever since the Indians landed in England last month,his mates from the side have been calling him to catch up. I was planning to go to Nottingham,but I am fasting these days because of Ramzan. So it could be tiring, he says. A call from the selectors sure would have been more convincing. After all,he is just an hour away from Northampton.

Ojha upbeat after surprise call-up

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Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha is keen to capitalise on a second bite of the cherry after landing a surprise call-up to an India squad he was originally omitted from for the ongoing tour of England. Ojha was a member of the Indian squad for the recent tour of the West Indies but did not play a single game. He recently signed a contract with English county Surrey when spin spearhead Harbhajan Singhs injury provided an opportunity the 24-year-old is keen to seize with both hands. I cant change what happened in the West Indies but what I can do now is give my best in England, said Ojha. Ojha revealed former India captain Anil Kumble had correctly predicted his surprise call-up earlier this week. He was telling me the other day to stay positive and practise hard. He said,You are not in the team but you never know,you may get an unexpected call to join them in England, said Ojha.

This England side better: Flintoff

Former England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff has ranked the current English side under Andrew Strauss above the Michael Vaughan-led team that won the Ashes back after 16 years in 2005. Flintoff,who was the star of the 2005 Ashes victory that is arguably Englands greatest achievement in recent times,said he believes that present bunch is much superior in almost every department of the game. This is a better side than the one we had in 2005. The strength of it and the depth of it is incredible, Flintoff said. Weve seen them replace players without blinking and it has made no difference to the performance. They are the best in the world already. I dont see why they cant dominate for a long time, They are playing with a confidence and a swagger that goes with being the best. It is a fantastic group of players that clearly work very hard and they enjoy what theyre doing, he added.

Reaching top just the beginning

England might have moved an edge closer to snatching away the number one ranking from India,but off-spinner Graeme Swann said his side is keen on having a long-term era of success. Reaching No 1 in the world is not the end of the journey. It will be only the beginning, Swann said. We want to create a dynasty,a long-term era of success and to be remembered as one of the best England teams ever. England have already taken a 2-0 lead in the four-match rubber. They need to win the series by a margin of two Test to knock Dhoni and Co. off their perch.