Pathan too gets the time to work on his rhythm and these four months should be good for him. Very early in life he has seen both success and defeat and he will, with the right attitude, become tougher for it.

So too with Harbhajan who is still a young man but finds himself at the crossroads. I suspect we need to be patient with him and maybe some time away from the limited overs game will do him no harm. He bowled quite well at Chennai in the Afro Asia Cup and you could see why he is a special cricketer.

Both Harbhajan and Sehwag need to play cricket before the home season begins. It might be a good idea to do a short term contract, if one is still available with a good county in England, to keep themselves match fit so they have something to show before the test series against Pakistan in November.

Indian cricket needs more commitment and some good news. Neither is impossible if the desire awakens. Sadly it has been in a long slumber.