Though it remains to be seen if those experienced hands have shuffled the pack right — Anil Kumble is back, so is Zaheer Khan and Wasim Jaffer finds a one-day slot — a new line of thought certainly has been initiated in Team India’s selection meetings.

Since the day Vengsarkar got the hot seat, there was speculation about the changing dynamics of the committee which, besides the zonal representatives, also includes captain Rahul Dravid and coach Greg Chappell. The word was Vengsarkar the batsman had the credentials to debate any selection matter with the assurance of having ‘been there, done that’. With the last selection committee, led by Kiran More, severely low on Test count, the inclusion of Vengsarkar and Venkatapathy Raju meant things were due for a change.

Today, after his first media briefing, it was clear that though his hairline may have receded, his face more wrinkled, Vengsarkar, like in his playing days, still maintains the no-nonsense style. Asked about VVS Laxman, he said, “He has a fitness problem right now and also has a fitness problem to play international ODIs”. Asked whether Sourav Ganguly’s name was discussed, there wasn’t the usual “doors are open for all” line but a straight big “No”.

Another answer that went beyond the usual clichés was on India’s talent pool. “At the Challenger (series) we saw a lot of players. To be honest with you, there is not much talent. They are players who are good at first class level but they are yet to come up at the international level. I haven’t seen any exceptional talent,” he said.

First impression, says the former BCCI Chief Talent Research Development Officer, is tough to impress. And that was the reason rookies Robin Uthappa and Rohit Sharma didn’t make it, while “the technically sound” Test opener Jaffer did. It was Jaffer’s transition to ODIs that showed the Vengsarkar stamp, since much shouldn’t be read in the inclusion of Kumble and Zaheer as the two old hands were on the radar of the previous panel too.

There are various ways of looking at Jaffer’s inclusion other than the naïve conclusion that Jaffer and Vengsarkar happen to be from Mumbai. It was his “tight technique” that saw Vengsarkar give the nod to the textbook style batting star ahead of the flashy Delhi opener Gautam Gambhir or Bangalore’s Uthappa. But technique wasn’t the sole criteria for selection as Laxman found out. According to Vengsarkar, Laxman’s fielding wasn’t up to the international ODI level.

The Robins and Rohits might have to wait for a while, since Vengsarkar isn’t one who can easily be impressed. As a 20-year-old, Vengsarkar made it to the national team after a blistering attack on spin legends Bedi and Prasanna. Something similar is expected from others now.

Yuvraj ruled out

Mohali: Just hours after Dinesh Kaarthick was put on standby, the Tamil Nadu gloveman’s comeback into Indian was given an official stamp when Yuvraj Singh was today ruled out of the one-day series against South Africa after a medical test revealed a tear in his left knee.

Having made his limited overs’ debut in 2004, Kaarthick has played just three ODI matches, all against England, the last being in April this year after selectors decided to give rest MS Dhoni for a match.

Yuvraj, who was provisionally included in the squad, will be reassessed again in two weeks to know whether he can take part in the following three-match Test series. “At this stage Yuvraj will be unable to participate in the upcoming ODI series in South Africa,” BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah said.

The left-hander has been advised to follow some exercises and use crutches to take the load off the injured left knee by Board’s medical consultant Dr. Anant Joshi who examined the player in Mumbai. “According to Dr Joshi, there is a tear in the interior cruciate ligament with some amount of bruising of the bone in the left knee and there is a swelling of the knee,” Shah said.