Will Dhoni gamble on Sreesanth?

Right through Indias quarterfinal against Australia,Santhakumaran Sreesanth was doing his bit to egg on his teammates from outside the playing arena.

Right through Indias quarterfinal against Australia,Santhakumaran Sreesanth was doing his bit to egg on his teammates from outside the playing arena. When Zaheer was running low on fuel,it was Sreesanth who ran up along the boundary ropes and provided him an energy drink. Plonked on a chair outside the dressing room,Sreesanth didnt miss an opportunity to don the role of a lead cheerleader. His presence on the other side of the boundary though has been limited to the opener against Bangladesh over a month ago,a game in which he went for 53 runs without taking a wicket.

The only constant in Indias pace bowling line-up has been Zaheer Khan. Ashish Nehra,who was hit for 16 in the last over during the loss against South Africa,has come in and gone out,so has Munaf Patel who played against Australia.

The wicket at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mohali still retains traces of grass for the India vs Pakistan match. It is also known to provide extra bounce for the fast bowlers. With Zaheer Khan still in search of a steady partner at the other end ,it waits to be seen if Dhoni will opt for Sreesanth.

Sreesanths pace,ability to bowl with a straight seam and movement off the deck makes him a wicket-taking bowler on his day. Pakistans top-order is often exposed when there is lateral movement. Sreesanths ability to bowl a good outswinger and his knack of producing wicket-taking spells makes him a contender for the second pacers slot.

On the flip side,when Sreesanth goes for runs,his day often goes from bad to worse. Dhoni knows that the mercurial pacer,with a tendency to get into trouble on the field,needs to be managed properly in his high-intensity clash. In short,playing Sreesanth in the semi-final against Pakistan would be a big gamble.

On Monday,Sreesanth hurried Yuvraj Singh and Dhoni in the nets. It waits to be seen if hell be given an opportunity to do the same against the Pakistan batsmen on Wednesday.