The squad that the national selectors picked for the two Tests against England didn’t have any surprises but a coincidence was hard to miss. Looking at the list, it was quite clear that left-handers had dominated the discussion at the meeting at Chennai.On the basis of his ODI form, Yuvraj Singh filled the slot in the middle-order left vacant after Sourav Ganguly’s retirement. But out-of-sorts pacer RP Singh’s stock continued to fall as he was dropped from the Test squad after his much-publicised ODI snub. And to make the ‘left is right’ theme complete was his replacement, left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha. RP is not a stranger to the grind of domestic cricket — a comeback trail on which only a few survive. He was dropped in 2006 but, with a bagful of wickets on domestic circuit, forced his way back into the national squad. Tight-lippedControversy had erupted after MS Dhoni revolted against the selectors’ decision to drop RP Singh from the recent England ODIs. And this time, those at the selection committee are tight-lipped about the expression on the skipper’s face when RP’s name didn’t figure in the squad.It is learnt that while there was a general consensus about Yuvraj’s inclusion, but the decision to retain untested S Badrinath in the squad in the background of Cheteshwar Pujara’s mountain of domestic runs was arrived at after a brief debate. Pujara couldn’t make the cut as the selectors were of the view that dropping a young cricketer — Badrinath — without giving him a chance to show his worth, wasn’t something the present committee was comfortable with. What made the decision easier was Badrinath’s ton in the last Ranji Trophy game he played.Three specialist openersM Vijay, who did a decent job when replacing Gautam Gambhir in the crucial final Test against Australia at Nagpur, retains his place in the side. And that means India will now have three specialist openers in the side with Vijay providing the option of dropping down the order in case captain MS Dhoni loses confidence in a middle-order batsman.An interesting off-shoot of the squad announced on Thursday concerned two players — Yuvraj and RP. Their moods after the meeting will obviously present a contrast, but a trip down the memory lane shows the apparent similarity in their careers. Both were promising juniors who first hit the headlines after success in the under-19 World Cup but neither has had a smooth ride. RP Singh was enjoying a high last year, and many of the England players will remember his sharp inswingers from around the wicket during the 2007 home series, where he took 12 wickets in three Tests. He had a promising start to 2008, taking four-wicket hauls twice in the Tests in Australia. But it’s been all downhill since. After three wicket-less Tests — the final match against Australia Down Under and the first two against South Africa at home — RP lost his place in the playing XI. But his slump has coincided with the emergence of Ishant Sharma, as well as the return to form of Munaf Patel, and the pace department hasn’t really felt the pinch.
