There happens to be something strange about this Irani Trophy encounter. The traditional season-opener has, for years, been the final frontier that excites the fringe players. After repeated knocks on the selectors’ doors, a stand-out show in the Rest of India vs Ranji Trophy champion game almost guarantees the key to the Indian dressing room.

But such are the times that ambiguity surrounds this crucial game. Though the national selectors will be there to watch, it is no secret they wouldn’t be around when the all-important judgment day arrives to pick the squad for the Test series against Australia. Attitudes and equations are expected to change when a fresh committee goes into a huddle and that’s the reason an Irani Cup performance doesn’t quite guarantee the big break for those on the sidelines this time around.

This unpredictability is most prominent when the much-discussed Indian middle order comes under scrutiny. Sourav Ganguly’s exclusion from Rest of India and saw many questions surfacing. Does Ganguly missing Rest of India also mean his international career was over? Was this a message to other seniors that their days too were numbered?

One may never get the answers since the Dilip Vengsarkar-led selection committee, that picked the Rest of India squad, wouldn’t be picking the Test team.

Precisely the reason the likes of Mohammad Kaif and S Badrinath — the two middle-order bats on Test threshold — will be sceptic. They would certainly like to get the headlines in the coming days but they wouldn’t think beyond that. A selection panel with a soft corner for seniors, or with a mindset that emphasises on experience for the tough series against the Aussies, might see no major change in the squad. And that might mean performances here might be put on the back burner.

... contd.