However sportsmen have their oddities and special skills and some players play better at some positions than at others and as far as possible, especially on a big tour, you must change little. Centre forwards don’t suddenly become centre halves, full backs don’t suddenly move to the right wing.

And so a peculiar problem presents itself. In the interests of the team, should Rahul Dravid play at No 2 or, in the interests of the team, should the world’s most prolific No 3 be retained at No 3? It doesn’t end there of course. It means VVS Laxman, so solid in the middle order now, has to be moved up as well. He’s batted there before but a long time ago and in different conditions. On a big day, a person must do what he does best, most instinctively, and that is true of any profession. So ideally, if Yuvraj Singh has to break into the batting order he must either do so by batting better at his position than anyone else, or by taking whatever number is available. If Australia had to replace, say, Phil Jaques, I don’t see them picking Brad Hodge at number six, moving Ponting to open the batting and sending Clarke at number three.

For a start they would replace opener with opener or ask Hodge to open the batting. When Justin Langer had to come back to the side, they didn’t disturb Ponting from No 3, they asked Langer to open. If you want to pick a junior minister in the cabinet, you don’t move the home minister to finance, the finance minister to external affairs so that the junior man can take home!

... contd.