WI depleted, but it’s Judgement Day for India

With a bat in hand and eyes widened, Uthappa fantasised drawing parabolas with the ball while Gambhir was picturing the prospect of not being picked for the best XI that India finalised for tomorrow’s final game against the West Indies.

And with Rahul Dravid announcing that it will be Sourav Ganguly who will open with Uthappa while naming the XI, the World Cup’s daily sweepstakes got another update. With Suresh Raina, S Sreesanth and Ramesh Powar to warm the bench with Gambhir it wasn’t tough to figure out who was feeling the heat days before the World Cup squad is announced.

And if one opted to read between the lines when Dravid spoke, the probability of Sreesanth making it to the West Indies diminished.

“Sree’s a young bowler and is competing for a spot on the side as anyone is. He’s finding out it’s not that easy to bowl on Indian wickets. He’s got to keep learning and improving,” he said about the bowler who was a revelation in the away Tests but was found wanting in ODIs at home.

With Munaf passing his fitness test with flying colours, the focus now shifts to Irfan Pathan’s judgement day. Trust Dravid to use the right words when it comes to tricky questions. Since the skipper watched Pathan for the first time after the pacer’s premature departure from South Africa, he was asked to do an instant assessment.

“The proof of the pudding is in eating it,” was his way of delaying the verdict for a day. “Bowling well at nets is different from performing on the field,” he said, while explaining the context of the pudding metaphor.

If Munaf and Pathan are the contenders that Sreesanth has to worry about in the pace department, there is also Powar’s spin threat.

Dravid today made it amply clear that the experience of Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh will be vital for the power plays in coming days.

So does that mean Powar can be written off? “I’ve not ruled out anybody. Ramesh has done a very good job for us in the opportunities he has got. But you must understand he is also competing with two of the greatest spinners in Indian cricket. Ramesh is probably going to compete with one of the pacers for a slot,” he said.

... contd.