Letter of the Day

What was clearly to be feared when the selectors selected their team to South Africa has now become reality, as the uselessness of having 5 seamers on tour becomes evident.

Of late, Indian selectors have gotten it into their head that 5 seamers are de rigeur for tours outside the sub-continent. However, this was always going to backfire in South Africa. Firstly, we don't really have 5 seamers of international class in the country.

Secondly, the South Africans at the best of times are wonderful players of seam bowling; the sort of mediocre seam bowling that the Indians have at their disposal will be no more challenging than run of the mill seam bowlers that South Africans grown up on in domestic competitions.

Thirdly, the real Achilles heel for South Africa is spin. If this wasn't amply in evidence in the one-day series, it has become more than amply evident in their hesitation even against Tendulkar.

Fourthly, it is inconceivable that all 5 seamers will be called upon to do duty on this tour. So why on earth is Prasad in South Africa at all? (or is he the selectors' idea of a third spinner?). Do we need such a senior player to carry the drinks?

Just imagine what might have happened if the selectors had dared to think differently -- and positively -- and instead of Prasad sent Murali Kartik out to team up with Kumble and Harbhajan Singh. And just imagine what might have happened if the team management had been really positive and actually played 3 spinners in a Test match (I am extremely dubious about this "groin infection" of Bhajji's, and hope it is not just a euphemism to hide the fact that he's actually been dropped. And why really are we persisting with Srinath when he is too unfit to really bowl his quota of overs as one of four major strike bowlers?).

Kartik is a genuinely talented bowler, even though Ganguly has tried his best to completely demoralise him. He is much better than the nonsensical replacements that we have seen this past year, such as Raju (clearly past his best), Kulkarni or Sanghvi (who hardly even spins the ball). If the selectors can recall that far back, it will be remembered that Kartik made an extremely impressive debut against the South Africans at home last year, when they were really all at sea against him.

A 3-pronged spin attack, and we could have really had the South Africans on the run. Or at the very least we would have then played to our strengths, and made the South Africans think a bit.

Kaushik Sunder Rajan