Yuvraj Singh followed up his first-innings duck with a blazing unbeaten 77 today. Sourav Ganguly finished the game with scores of 40 and 39. These stats will be irrelevant when the national selectors sit tomorrow to select the 14 for the final Test — they will probably retain this squad — but they will be weighed against each other when the playing XI is picked in Ahmedabad. The matter was put into perspective by none other than Yuvraj himself. Indeed, he batted with such authority that had Rahul Dravid not declared he seemed likely to score his second Test ton _ but his concern was different. “I've done enough to give the national selectors and the team management a headache after this knock,” he said after the day's play. He wasn't being cocky, just stating the truth. Weighing the performances of Yuvraj and Ganguly is like comparing apples and oranges with the certainty that, come Ahmedabad, one of them will be handed a lemon. On the face of it Yuvraj appears to have the edge; his 77 was certainly a prettier innings than either of Ganguly's, and fresher in the mind. Yet in terms of the match context both of Ganguly's knocks have been vital. His 40 in the first innings is significant given India's 60-run lead, and his 121-run partnership with Sachin Tendulkar was the last significant stand in that innings. His dismissal triggered a collapse that saw seven wickets falling for 36 runs. So those 40 certainly look good in perspective. And Ganguly's vigil in the first hour today, as he adhered to the management's diktat of not losing his wicket, was equally crucial to the later tempo. On the other hand, Yuvraj too saw out the opening hour and then went beyond. His stroke-filled 77 put India well on the way to setting the mammoth (in the context of this match) target of 436. However, with runs on the board no longer an issue, the significance of his unbeaten innings pales a bit. At another level, the issue goes beyond figures and the match context. The team management must choose between a young batsman trying to cement his place in the Test side after an award-winning performance in the one-day series against South Africa, and a senior who offers a wealth of experience — and no longer appears to be resting on his laurels. As the light faded and the crowds dispersed, one saw Mohammad Kaif going through his usual batting stint with Ian Frazer. He will probably be doing the same at Ahmedabad; the question is, who will keep him company? One of the two princes, most likely. Or, in a simple twist of fate, Gautam Gambhir.
