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[ramshorns]

Harbhajan left out of Australia tour
ESPNcricinfo staff

November 26, 2011

India have left out Harbhajan Singh from the squad for the Test series in Australia, picking Pragyan Ojha and R Ashwin as the spinners in the 17-man group. Medium-pacer Praveen Kumar, who was part of the team in England, returns to the squad in place of legspinner Rahul Sharma, who was part of the squad for the ongoing Test series against West Indies but did not play a match.

The squad comprised eight specialist batsmen, two wicketkeeper batsmen, five fast bowlers and two spinners. Wriddhiman Saha was named as reserve wicketkeeper, while Zaheer Khan, who is recovering from hamstring and ankle injuries, will join the team subject to match fitness.

"Zaheer will play in a couple of Ranji Trophy matches. And once he is fully match-fit and everything is fine, he will join the side," Kris Srikkanth, the chairman of India's selectors, said. "He may also go with the team as by the time [the team leaves] he would have played a couple of matches."

MS Dhoni, the India captain, said that Zaheer testing his fitness in a Ranji game for Mumbai against Orissa would be beneficial for both the player and the team. "He [Zaheer] gives his 100%. But if you have to undergo rehab it has to be done really well," Dhoni said. "We are hoping that he is 100% fit for the Australia series. Once he plays a first-class game that will help judge to some extent the way he feels."

Zaheer bowled to the Indian batsmen in the lead up to the third Test against West Indies at the Wankhede and Dhoni said he "looked quite fit."

Harbhajan's omission was a result of left-arm spinner Ojha and offspinner Ashwin produced compelling performances in the Test series against West Indies. Ashwin was the series' highest wicket-taker with 22 scalps at 22.90 apiece, while Ojha took 20 at 22.50. Ashwin also scored his maiden international century in the third Test at the Wankhede.

"Unfortunately, we cannot help it [not picking Harbhajan] as the team selects itself," Srikkanth said. "In Australia, you cannot have more than two spinners. Pragyan Ojha and Ashwin are doing an excellent job. Sometimes it becomes bad luck and sometimes people miss out. I'm sure everyone has their own time and space to come back."

Harbhajan had been dropped from the squad for the West Indies series after a poor performance in England, where he took only two wickets in two Tests before an abdominal-muscle injury forced him to return home. He failed to perform in the Ranji Trophy as well, managing only two wickets at an average of 102 in three matches as captain of Punjab. On India's previous tour to Australia, in 2007-08, Harbhajan had a tally of eight wickets in three Tests at 61.25. He conceded over 100 runs in an innings three times in that series. 

Yuvraj Singh, who will miss the upcoming ODI series against West Indies because of a lung infection, and Suresh Raina, were also not in not in the team.

"We have chosen a very balanced side. We have taken everything into account, including fitness and Australian conditions," Srikkanth said. "If you ask me today whether this team can beat Australia in Australia, I would say I'm very confident. We should beat Australia in Australia in a Test series.

"Our batsman are in form, our bowlers are in form. And now we have all kinds of bowlers. We have fast bowlers, medium-fast bowlers, we have swing bowlers, spinners - left-arm and offspin," Srikkanth said. "So depending on the conditions there the team management will select the team on a match-to-match basis."


Squad: MS Dhoni (capt &wk), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Virat Kohli, R Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron, Rohit Sharma, Pragyan Ojha, Praveen Kumar, Ajinkya Rahane, Wriddhiman Saha, Zaheer Khan (subject to fitness).

http://www.espncricinfo.com/australia-v-india-2011/content/story/542171.html

[ramshorns]

Zaheer in team for Australian tour

Special Correspondent

Zaheer Khan, who will play two Ranji Trophy matches (vs. Orissa at Cuttack from November 29 to December 2 and vs. Saurashtra at Rajkot from December 6-9) has been included in the 17-member Indian team for the four-Test series in Australia.

The first Test starts in Melbourne on December 26. A press release from the BCCI said: “Zaheer Khan will join the team subject to his match-fitness.''

The national selection committee which met here on Saturday selected seven specialist bowlers — five seamers in Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Praveen Kumar, Umesh Yadav and Varun Aaron and two spinners Pragyan Ojha and Ravichandran Ashwin for the Tests that will be played at Melbourne (December 26-30), Sydney (January 3-7, 2012), Perth (January 13-17) and Adelaide (January 24-28).

Indications of the likely team they would pick for the series in Australia was made known once the committee chose the 15-member team for the third and final Test against the West Indies. The committee left out leg-spinner Rahul Sharma from the team and included Praveen Kumar, Zaheer Khan and second wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha.

“It's every Indian's dream to win a series in Australia. Mohinder Amarnath, Narendra Hirwani and I have played in Australia. All of us put our minds together and picked a team that's performing and is balanced in all departments of the game. We also spoke to the coach, Duncan Fletcher, captain M.S. Dhoni and vice-captain Virender Sehwag on Friday night,'' said K. Srikkanth, Chairman of the selection committee.
 
Dhoni satisfied   

Meanwhile, M.S. Dhoni expressed his satisfaction over the Test squad selected for the Australian tour. “It looks like a very good side. In the last three games (against the West Indies), we have seen Umesh Yadav and Varun Aaron bowl quick and they have learnt a lot. At the same time the spinners — R. Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha — have done well. The batting order remains the same and it is at full strength. Hopefully we can do well,” Dhoni said.

The Indian skipper also hoped that Zaheer Khan would be fit and ready for the tour. “We are hoping that Zaheer is 100 per cent fit for the Australian series. Once he goes and plays in the first class game (Ranji Trophy match between Mumbai and Orissa at Cuttack from November 29), that will help him judge to some extent how he feels. What we saw in the practice session here (ahead of the third Test) is that he is fit,” Dhoni said.

The team: M.S. Dhoni (captain), Virender Sehwag (vice-captain), Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, V.V.S. Laxman, Virat Kohli, R. Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron, Rohit Sharma, Pragyan Ojha, Praveen Kumar, Ajinkya Rahane, Wriddhiman Saha and Zaheer Khan.

http://www.thehindu.com/sport/cricket/article2662351.ece

[ramshorns]

An excellent selection finally.  Only selection change I would have made is perhaps Mukund in place of Rahane given he is more suited for opening after his stints in England and West Indies as a back up to GG and VS.

Good to see Dartbhajan getting dropped. He is a useless spinner and has been there that way in Tests for a long while now.  Time has caught up with him and one got to see what the alternates Ojha and Ashwin are capable of in the same conditions Darty struggled over the last 2-3 years.

And finally last but not the least.  The three greats SRT, VVS and RD again in it together.  5th tour of Australia for SRT and 4th for VVS and RD.  The retirements of Kumble and Ganguly has really added a good blend of youth and experience to the side where the three gentlemen(RD, VVS and SRT) provided the needed support, mentoring to nurture talent and also assist MSD with their leadership and professionalism.  The only blot being the injury riddled English tour after a stint of 14-16 months as the No.1 Test team.

Hope the sqaud does well in Australia after the near sweep of the West Indies at home a series victory needed before embarking upon the tour Down under.

[WicketView]

One of the big changes from the past couple of years is RD getting back in touch. He has been in terrific form the last two series, and I hope he can make the tour of Australia memorable in terms of a bunch of RD knocks. I was under the impression that the vc had gone over to GG, since VS had expressed some reluctance. No ?

If Zaheer can get back to form we will have Zaheer and Ishant as the two pace bowlers with Umesh and Aaron vying for the third spot? The other hard question will be Ojha or Ashwin?

[k-slice]

One of the big changes from the past couple of years is RD getting back in touch. He has been in terrific form the last two series, and I hope he can make the tour of Australia memorable in terms of a bunch of RD knocks. I was under the impression that the vc had gone over to GG, since VS had expressed some reluctance. No ?

If Zaheer can get back to form we will have Zaheer and Ishant as the two pace bowlers with Umesh and Aaron vying for the third spot? The other hard question will be Ojha or Ashwin?

If we play only one spinner it will always be Ashwin. He bats decently for one, plays for the super-kings ( i will laugh if people think that doesnt play a part in our selection). He also has more variety than ojha. What really makes me happy is to see that these two seem to enjoy each others success as was evident from the current series. each time one took a wicket the other seemed happy. what was equally interesting was the fat that they seemed to discuss things before the days play. there were at least 3 instances when they showed the pre-game visuals where ashwin and ojha were at one side discussing. i am assuming it was cricket but nonetheless. the last time India had 2 spinners coming up a the same time was when we had Bhajji and Sarandeep singh. before that it was when Kumble, Chauhan and Raju were involved in the whitewash of england. I hope these two gel well together. I feel bad for bhajji as i feel he played a huge role in us becoming number one and in winning the WC but thats cricket. I would not be surprised if he did eventually make a comeback.

[dhruvdeepak]

i for one still prefer ojha over ashwin (who is a really close second) as the first choice spinner for a foreign tour, currently.

i just get the feeling that ojha is a little bit more worldly because he has that bit more experience, has played county cricket etc. ashwin is still naive to the ways of the Test cricket world.

ojha also has a little more fire (maybe because he keeps getting looked over). though i appreciate ashwin's calm (he seems to be channeling his inner dhoni).

in terms of bowling skill the difference is negligible IMO.

i will keep the batting discussion to the side  - maybe ashwin just pips ojha overall because of that. but i think at the moment ojha is a slightly better bowler.

[vincent]

I do not know why Harbhajan being left out is a big news item. Also Murali Kartik,Sunil Joshi and Amit Mishra have been left out among others. During the same period,Harbhajan played three Ranji Matches against modest opposition and got 2 Wickets, Ashwin played 3 Tests against WI and got over 20 Wickets. Harbhajan needs to do well in Ranji matches.

[ramshorns]

i for one still prefer ojha over ashwin (who is a really close second) as the first choice spinner for a foreign tour, currently.

i just get the feeling that ojha is a little bit more worldly because he has that bit more experience, has played county cricket etc. ashwin is still naive to the ways of the Test cricket world.

ojha also has a little more fire (maybe because he keeps getting looked over). though i appreciate ashwin's calm (he seems to be channeling his inner dhoni).

in terms of bowling skill the difference is negligible IMO.

i will keep the batting discussion to the side  - maybe ashwin just pips ojha overall because of that. but i think at the moment ojha is a slightly better bowler.

Ojha surely is the better Test spinner than Ashwin and it will play out in the long run.  However Ashwin is no dud either where both can be the one two punch when we play two spinners.  It is so good to see both do well bowling in tandem.  What makes Ojha the better of the two at this stage is his variations in flight and more revolutions he can impart on the ball when he pushes it through with his natural action. But all and all either one would be a good choice if we play a lone spinner but personally I will pick Ojha over Ashwin for Tests.

[ramshorns]

I do not know why Harbhajan being left out is a big news item. Also Murali Kartik,Sunil Joshi and Amit Mishra have been left out among others. During the same period,Harbhajan played three Ranji Matches against modest opposition and got 2 Wickets, Ashwin played 3 Tests against WI and got over 20 Wickets. Harbhajan needs to do well in Ranji matches.

To me Dartbhajan is finished as a Test spinner.  He can focus on his ODI and more importantly 20-20 IPL career.  He is not better than Ashwin who will keep improving with each passing game a bowler who comes across as very thinking and also have come through the ranks putting in the hard yards.  Darty your days are over in Tests and you have no one but yourself and your arrogance to blame for it refusing to improve on your bowling.  Reputation and closeness to some senior cricketers earned you free Test matches in the last 2-3 years but when your competition buried you when given chances your days playing for India as a Test player are as good as over because you are no good.

[Cernunnos]

reality check #1: When there was little turn in the track, much like most pitches in Aus, WI scored 590.
reality check #2: Raju averaged 13 in 3 tests before going to Aus. In Aus averaged 50 in 4 tests.

[sudzz]

For all you Ashwindraw bhakts he has shown us what sort of a choker he can be and don't think that the Aussies have not seen it or won't use it against him...

[ramshorns]

And by the way I commend Jimmy Amarnath who recently took over to step in and finally get Darty out of the team while rewarding the better spinners like Ojha and Ashwin with spots and they proved it with 20 and 22 wickets on pitches where there was not much in it for the spinners which prompted his skipper to even ask for turning tracks from Day 1 which I do not agree with.  Now Darty can go around and keep slapping players around for his shortcomings.

[Cernunnos]

Harbhajan has nothing to fear. He is entering the second phase of his career.
A non-performing Dravid was persisted with for 4 years and look how is doing now. Of course a straight talking Harby has too many detractors who would allow such a long rope. He will have to seek his redemption in domestic cricket, perhaps a stint in county cricket. 
 
Who can forget his 7 fer in Capetown which should have won us our first series in SA but for our useless pacers.

[ramshorns]

Ashwin awaits ‘Down-Under’ test
G Viswanath

Ravichandran Ashwin has done a lot of things right until now. On the field he has teased and tricked 22 West Indies batsmen in the three Test series, scored a terrific century and of the field he has been articulate about right arm off spin bowling and his accomplishments.

It’s taken some years of rigorous endeavour in first class competitions and some success in Twenty20 and limited over tournaments for the tall Tamil Nadu off spinner to emerge and nudge out seasoned campaigner Harbhajan Singh from the Indian team. That he made it such a simple, straight forward and a logical selection for the four-Test engagement in Australia bears testimony to his consistent achievements in all forms of the game. At least the selectors were never in doubt about the choice of the off spinner for Australia.

Last year he got the big boost taking 11 Kiwi wickets in a five-match ODI series at home and soon Gautam Gambhir lavished praise saying “Ashwin is the find of the series.” It’s the first emphatic statement from an India player on an upcoming off spinner. Chances for him were limited in the World Cup, but ten wickets against Alastair Cook’s England only confirmed the improvement he was seeking for and a regular place in the national team. The time arrived for the selectors to put him through the wringer of Test cricket against the West Indies. He’s passed muster in helpful home conditions.

With almost every right hand finger spinner in Indian being cautioned and reported for chucking in the last three or four years, Ashwin's rise as a skilful and fierce competitor to the feisty sardar has to be viewed as a good augury. Harbhajan has been going through a rough period for too long and in the circumstances the selectors had no option, but to try out Ashwin. Now that he’s played three Tests and sent down 170 overs on surfaces that responded differently at Kotla, Eden and Wankhede, he would have lapped up the nuances that distinguishes Test cricket from first class cricket.

Ashwin's next round of opponents would be a group of Australian batsmen who would have honed their skills playing two Tests against South Africa and two against New Zealand. Obviously he would have to show patience and demonstrate a lot more craft and cunning to get the better of the likes of Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, Ricky Ponting, Shane Watson and a handful more. Mahendra Singh Dhoni has the option of picking either the left arm spinner in Prgyan Ojha (20 wickets in the series against West Indies and 62 in 14 Test matches at 34.62 ) or Ashwin (22 wickets in three Tests at 22.90).

"If I were to be in Australia, I know it’s not going to be easy. I have played the Emerging Players tournament there," said Ashwin at the conclusion of the second day’s play of the third Test in Mumbai. He has played two one-dayers, bowled 19 overs and got the feel of bowling to Australian batsmen. The IPL experience also would help him. Perhaps a call to Erappalli Prasanna (31 wickets in 8 matches in Australia) and Shivlal Yadav (23 wickets in 5 matches in Australia) would help him gain some more knowledge of the grounds in Australia.

Off-spinners have found purchase on wickets there. The top four positions are held by Australians. Bruce Yardley who played from 1978 to 83 took 79 wickets in 19 home Test matches at 32.18. Second in the list is Montague Noble, a banker and dentist. He played from 1898 to 1909, took 78 wickets in 19 home Tests at 20.77; 64 of them contributed to Australia’s victory. He played 39 against England and three against South Africa. According to commentator Johnie Moyes, Noble was a master of flight, spin and length and on good wickets he was difficult because if his persistency and control. Third in the list is Hughie Trumble, who played from 1890 to 1904 and he captured 74 wickets from 15 home Tests at 21.36. The fourth is Ashley Mallett, who has 63 wickets from 21 home Tests at 32.81. There are a number of other Australians like Ian Jhonson (57 from 22 at 25.72 ), George Palmer (55 from 10 at 19.82) who have excelled in home conditions.

West Indian Lance Gibbs has 59 from 14 at 33.39, England’s William Bates played all his 15 Tests in Australia and took 50 wickets at 16.42, South African Hugh Tayfield has 30 from 5 at 28.10, New Zealand’s John Bracewell has 17 from 8 at 40.47, Pakistan’s Saqlain Mushtaq has 14 from four 34.14 and Sri Lanka’s Muttaiah Muralitharan has 12 from five at 75.42. Harbhajan Singh, the off spinner Ashwin has replaced, has taken 9 wickets from 4 at 73.22. In all 123 off-spinners have bowled in Australia so far and 94 have succeeded in taking a wicket to Yardley’s 79.

Ashwin would be a marked man now. After the fourth ODI against England in Mumbai, Dhoni said Ashwin has a few tricks up his sleeve. “Self confidence and willingness to learn are his standout qualities,” said W.V. Raman, who has been near at hand and guided Ashwin, as coach of the Tamil Nadu team from 2006-07 to 2010.

http://www.thehindu.com/sport/cricket/article2665328.ece

[ramshorns]

It feels so good to see Darty being kicked out of Tests(the real cricket) which I have been advocating for too long and it finally took Jimmy Amarnath to get into the committee to kick him out and that also gave us a sneak peak at the alternates I have been floating for a while now and guess what both of them appear to be better than the Dartster right about now.  That is why I always said if we are stuck with trash in the name of giving a long rope you never know what the alternates are going to provide you with.  That is why one cannot be hung up in the past as can be seen here.

[WicketView]

If we play only one spinner it will always be Ashwin. He bats decently for one, plays for the super-kings ( i will laugh if people think that doesnt play a part in our selection)....

really, WC 2011 ? Badri ?

[k-slice]

If we play only one spinner it will always be Ashwin. He bats decently for one, plays for the super-kings ( i will laugh if people think that doesnt play a part in our selection)....

really, WC 2011 ? Badri ?

for every one badri there is a raina, an ahwin, a manpreet gony, a murali vijay.

[vincent]

India vs WI: Pragyan Ojha and R. Ashwin come as a whiff of fresh air

S. KANNAN  | India Today, New Delhi, November 27, 2011 | 15:58

Pragyan Ojha and R. Ashwin were the stars of India's 2-0 win in the Test series over the WI.
It is sad that only a crowd of close to 20,000 was present in the Wankhede Stadium to see the twists and turns on a dramatic final day between India and the West Indies.

In the end, a draw wasn't a just result on Saturday as India should have won the third Test after Pragyan Ojha and R. Ashwin turned in heroic displays. Part of the blame for the eventual draw should rest with the frontline Indian batsmen, with many gifting away their wickets.

Looking back, the hype in this Test was all around one man who was to have scored his 100th hundred. From the eve of the match till the time India batted bravely to close in on the Windies' mammoth first innings total, the entire focus was on Sachin Tendulkar.

The champion batsman fell tantalisingly short of the mark but the rest of the Test was all about character shown by our batsmen and bowlers. In the first innings, not one pair got a hundred-run partnership but the batsmen still put up 482, showing great depth.

But the finds of the series, so to say, were the two spinners - Ojha and Ashwin. If there was one more topic of interest apart from Sachin's elusive hundred, it was if Harbhajan Singh would find a place in the squad for the ODIs against the West Indies and then the Test team for the tour of Australia.

Based on the sheer weight of their performances and the ability to take 42 out of the 60 West Indies wickets which fell in the six innings, Ojha and Ashwin come as a whiff of fresh air.

People wondered if this was a gamble worth taking, throwing two relatively 'inexperienced' spinners into the deep end of the pool. It is one thing to experiment with new spinners in the ODIs, where in the event of bowlers being flogged, one can fall back on part-time bowlers.

One must give credit to skipper M S Dhoni for giving the confidence and setting fields which could get wickets for his spinners. In the era gone by, it used to be the spin combo of Harbhajan and Anil Kumble which was potent on tailor made tracks at home and also abroad.

However, in Ashwin, there is a quality off-spinner who has huge self-belief and has justified the faith imposed in him. Add to it the lethal left-arm spin from the other end in the form of Ojha, and this pair has been inspirational.

If one takes a look at the Wankhede Stadium pitch, it resembled a runway for the first four days. Some even asked if it had been so designed for Sachin to get a century.

Yet, the drama which unfolded on the final day made the same track look so different, resulting in a contest which had all the trappings of a thriller. The excitement of the final over had to be seen and enjoyed, though the inability to get that one run will be replayed in our minds for a long time.

Then again, when one reflects about this Test for some time, it is the end result which will stay in the mind and not Sachin missing his century. It is indeed a huge landmark which he will scale, but till such time as he reaches there, let the champion enjoy himself.

BE IT headlines on TV or newspapers, Sachin not getting to the big 100 has become an obsession. Pressure of expectation, nerves and choking - all kinds of phrases have been used for Sachin's 'inability' to get there. For a man who has provided us immense joy for over two decades, we need to respect him and not conduct post-mortems over why he fell short.

Fans will now expect Ojha and Ashwin to come up with the magical stuff regularly. Irrespective of what happens in the ODIs against West Indies, all eyes will be on them Down Under. Pitch conditions there are extremely different and for Ojha and Ashwin to succeed will be a challenge. Luckily, in Dhoni, they have a captain who lets them bowl how they want.

I had almost given up hope that one day India would again have a left-arm spinner bowling aggressively. It wasn't the case of Ojha bowling left- arm over the wicket but also coming round the wicket to attack the batsmen.

Since Venkatapathy Raju, India has never seen a left-arm spinner attacking so well in the longer format of the game. Of course, Murali Kartik had his moments but he was by and large reduced to being a defensive bowler.

As for Ashwin, no words of praise are enough. He has matured so fast and his batting ability is also a huge asset for Team India. Still want to talk of Sachin missing his 100 and Harbhajan being left out?

[ramshorns]

The Test specialists of the Indian squad will leave early for Australia, even as the ODI team completes its home assignment against West Indies. A board official told ESPNcricinfo that Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Ishant Sharma and Pragyan Ojha are likely to be on an early flight, the exact date for which is yet to be decided. They will leave either on December 8 or after the BCCI awards function on December 10. India's first tour game begins on December 15, eleven days prior to the Boxing Day Test.

Laxman, one of India's Tests-only players, welcomed the development. "Luckily for us we are going ahead this time, so we will get a lot of time and opportunity to get acclimatised to those conditions," Laxman told ESPNcricinfo. "I firmly believe that how much ever simulation you do in India, it's always important to get to Australia and get used to the conditions. The net practices and training sessions will be very critical for us to get used to the conditions as early as possible.

"Personally, because of past experiences, you know if you do certain kind of drills it will help you to get used to the bounce. But it is not the same as actually batting there." Laxman, though, didn't know when exactly he will be flying and who he will be flying with.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/australia-v-india-2011/content/story/543119.html

[ramshorns]

Great news.  The usual suspects SRT, VVS, RD reaching there early with few other young guns cannot be bad at all.  Hope MSD and others can leave early too.  Let us see.  An exciting series ahead hope that it is going to be a Very Very Special one for us.

[ramshorns]

Good to see Shiv get another shot at being the team manager for the tour of Australia.  He would be a great asset to have for the likes of Ojha and Ashwin.  He has been very successful bowling in Australia and knows the conditions well there.  Nice choice.  He was also the manager for the 2003-04 tour down under.
--
Shivlal Yadav named team manager

Shivlal Yadav, the former Test bowler, has been named India's team manager for four-Test series in Australia, which begins from December 26.

An offspinner, Yadav played 35 Tests and seven one-dayers between 1979 and 1987, claiming 102 Test wickets at an average of 35.09. After retiring, Yadav became an administrator. He had a stint as a national selector, and is currently a vice president with the BCCI and the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA). A HCA media release confirmed Yadav's appointment as national team manager

[feverpitch]

So the Western Union continue to appoint their favourite former-average-cricketer-turned-corrupt-officials... What's new.

[k-slice]

Good to see Shiv get another shot at being the team manager for the tour of Australia.  He would be a great asset to have for the likes of Ojha and Ashwin.  He has been very successful bowling in Australia and knows the conditions well there.  Nice choice.  He was also the manager for the 2003-04 tour down under.
--
Shivlal Yadav named team manager

Shivlal Yadav, the former Test bowler, has been named India's team manager for four-Test series in Australia, which begins from December 26.

An offspinner, Yadav played 35 Tests and seven one-dayers between 1979 and 1987, claiming 102 Test wickets at an average of 35.09. After retiring, Yadav became an administrator. He had a stint as a national selector, and is currently a vice president with the BCCI and the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA). A HCA media release confirmed Yadav's appointment as national team manager

nandlal Shivlal Yadav, the wind beneath Arjun yadavs wings. chor. he should stay away from ashwin and ojha.

[Cernunnos]

reality check #1: When there was little turn in the track, much like most pitches in Aus, WI scored 590.
reality check #2: Raju averaged 13 in 3 tests before going to Aus. In Aus averaged 50 in 4 tests.

Ashwinlose averaged 23 in 3 tests before going to Aus. In Aus averaged 63 in 3 tests.


"Those who forget history are condemned to repeat it"...

[dextrous]

Actually both Ashwin and Raju had inflated averages. Raju did well against the (then minnows) Sri Lanka whereas Ashwin played against clueless Windies. We should look at Ranji FC performances to pick spinners.

[ruchir]

http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/video_audio/551494.html

It seems AUS have dropped Marsh from ODI squad, based on his Test performances, and selected Ponting, Hussey bros, and Brett Lee for ODIs.

Behaving like IND selectors? Selecting/dropping players for ODI based on their Test performance?

This one is straight out of IND selectors playbook:
And there was no place for the allrounder Steve Smith, who the national selector John Inverarity said "needs to do more" to establish himself.