At the end of 15.2 overs the chairman of national selectors would have folded his World Cup notes and eased into his chair for a while. With the on-trial Nos.1, 2 and 3 — Robin Uthappa, Gautam Gambhir and Suresh Raina — back in the pavilion it was time to mentally take stock of that cryptic jigsaw called the Indian batting line-up. A few minor matters like checking Yuvraj Singh’s fitness and reconfirming Dinesh Kaarthick’s role as finisher remained but that didn’t quite fall into the ‘pressing issues’ category. Without making any adverse judgment on Yuvraj — 30 minutes stay on field isn’t enough to gauge the dodgy knee — and Kaarthick, it would be right to concentrate on just the first 15.2 overs. A brief synopsis of the pre-126/3 play would read as follows:• Uthappa’s 41-ball 70 proved that he can be a perfect replacement for Virender Sehwag. The likeness isn’t just confined to the aggressive play that can demoralise a bowling attack, but he also has that typically Sehwag rush of blood while in the zone. • Gambhir with his defend-attack dilemma remains an edgy starter and that self-destructive deeply ingrained contempt for the short ball is hard to ward off. • Raina remains a 20 to 30 or, at best, 40-kind of batsman, his talent or the position he is asked to play at notwithstanding.Mind you, these are just a day’s reading in the long data that the selectors are collecting for their final sitting that is just three ODIs away. As the nation gets in a collective erase-and-write mode while juggling with the 15 names for the March-April extravaganza, conclusions are drawn after every game and fresh arguments put forward in the next. Gambhir’s 69 in the first game is easily forgotten after Uthappa showed that he can drive, cut, loft, pull and hook and score 70 of the 95 runs scored in the first 10 overs. As on January 27, Uthappa is the No.1 opener. However, in case of Gambhir’s blinder, Virender Sehwag’s Ganguly-like comeback or even Tendulkar’s reluctance to be in the middle order remain a mystery, it is to be seen who will accompany Ganguly when India open their Cup campaign in March. After Gambhir’s dismissal and with Uthappa and Raina at the crease it was time for some World Cup nostalgia. The two were part of the U-19 World Cup at Dhaka in 2004 and now they were putting their heads down for their graduation. Uthappa and Raina had a big role to play in India reaching the final then and today they were aspiring to be part of the squad that will be competing at the seniors event for another shot at the coverted title. Going by today’s show, Uthappa’s helped his cause to prove that he has evolved from a colt to a thoroughbred while Raina still needs a few sparkling canters at the course to push his case.
