Selectors must ensure class prevails over form

When Indias selectors sit down to pick the team for the World T20,they will have to choose between form and class.

When Indias selectors sit down to pick the team for the World T20,they will have to choose between form and class. It is not an easy choice for,in an ideal world,both would go together. But it is a contest in which class must prevail and the selectors must hope that Yuvraj and Raina,in particular,use the month available to become match winners again!

The selectors must decide on eight batsmen and seven bowlers. They cannot compromise by picking fewer bowlers on the assumption that on some days the batsmen will chip in because on days they dont the game could be lost. Of those eight batsmen,two should be wicket keepers and India are well served in this area since both those can play as batsmen. Ideally,two of them should be able to bowl. Similarly,of the seven bowlers picked,two must hold their own with the bat. That will give the team the balance that T20 cricket demands.

Now lets see what we have and pick the players who walk in. Gambhir,Sehwag,Raina,Yuvraj (class over form!),Yusuf Pathan,Dhoni,Karthik,Harbhajan and Zaheer Khan. Now that is only nine and straightaway the first problem becomes apparent. Where are the bowlers? You need five seamers and two spinners so lets start shortlisting those.

The options with seamers are Praveen Kumar,Ishant Sharma,Ashish Nehra,Sreesanth,RP Singh and Vinay Kumar. None of them bat and though Zaheer can swing his bat a bit and Praveen Kumar can provide a few bonus runs here and there,it isnt good enough. And so Im going to go a bit left field and insist that Irfan Pathan be in the side. I believe he has a huge amount to contribute to this side and it helps that he is willing to do anything a captain asks him to.

I have been a bit surprised by the way Sangakkara has used him for the Kings XI. At Pathans current pace I am not sure he can bowl the first over or indeed,the last three,where he can become predictable. I believe his place in the side is as a fifth bowler and lower order batsman and in that role,he bowls largely in the middle overs.

So with him as the tenth player,we need to look at three seamers. Praveen Kumar must be one. Ashish Nehra could be a second if he is fit and then you choose between Sreesanth,RP Singh and Ishant Sharma. Neither is in any kind of form and it is one of those decisions where you go with the captains gut feel. But RP Singh is probably best equipped.

The second spinner is relatively easier to choose since a left-hander is good value in this format. The top two spinners of that variety in India at the moment are Murali Karthik and Pragyan Ojha but given that our seamers dont bat,that place will need to go to an all-rounder and therefore to Ravi Jadeja,who is clearly the third best spinner out of three. But he is good value in this format and so he becomes player number fourteen.

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The most contentious issue would be to assign the last batting spot. I believe there are four strong batting contenders,Manish Pandey,Virat Kohli,Robin Uthappa and Rohit Sharma,each of whom comes with strong skills. If you want a back up for Gambhir and Sehwag then I guess Pandey is the man; if a back up for Yuvraj to bat in the middle overs (as many as there are!) then Kohli could be the player and if the selectors are looking for a strong finisher then either of Uthappa or Sharma,both of whom can bat anywhere in the order. Eventually it will be the captains call but it is a dead heat for me.

I dont think India will start favourites given current form and possible fatigue (though that can only be as much of an excuse as a sales representative complaining after 20 days on the road) but I believe this playing eleven will give India the best possible chance. In batting order: Sehwag,Gambir,Dhoni,Yuvraj,Raina,Y Pathan,I Pathan,Jadeja,Harbhajan,Praveen Kumar and Zaheer Khan.