BCCI bowls a 'doosra'

After Sourav's exclusion from the ODI squad,the BCCI has to answer their critics. The only way that the BCCI can now save face is if these selected youngsters play their heart out.

MUMBAI: The Perth celebrations have yet not sunk and Indian team is reeling under the cloud of controversy again. This time, the controversy is internal and not with any other team. The exclusion of Sourav Ganguly from the ODI team has not gone down well with many experts as well as fans.

There are so many questions that arose after the selection of the ODI squad for Down Under. The first and most basic question is why was Sourav Ganguly dropped?

One senior BCCI official said that the emphasis was on fielding abilities and they wanted a young fielding side for the series. That's why you see a lot of youngsters in the side.

If fielding the only criteria to select the team, then one of the best bowlers on the tour, Ishant Sharma does not deserve to be in the side. His fielding has been no better than Ganguly anc he is all but 19 years of age.

Not being critical of the emerging young brigade, but if the BCCI is having an eye for the future there is no harm. But the handover process can be done in a more courteous and dignified way.

Dropping senior pros for strange reasons gives a bad feeling about the way game is conducted in the country. If you are looking at performing, fit and agile youngsters, Parthiv Patel is one of the best performers in the domestic circuit.

Why is he not in the team? Is it because Dhoni is the captain and Dinesh Karthik is also in the squad. Patel has proved his mettle more as a batsman and a skipper than a keeper, which also got Karthik the nod to the team.

It gives an impression of manouvering more than running the game. Nayan Mongia expressed his displeasure to the shabby treatment given to seasoned players like Sourav. He says "What more could he do than scoring 1240 runs in the last season for cementing his place in the side."

Let's assume that the move is a bold one keeping the eye on building a team without the old nucleus of big three is no small feat.

The BCCI has taken a positive step towards assemble a team for the 2011 World Cup and honestly some of the young guys are exciting to see. Probably the displeasure comes out of the fact that most of us have grown up seeing Sachin, Sourav and Dravid leading India to famous victories.

But the point is whether or not we have anyone else around Yuvraj Singh who can combine to form a nucleus for future.

In that case, the seniors would be ideal to help them to sustain the relentless pressure and let the transition be as smooth as possible. For a fact everyone knows that no one has played the shorter version of the game any better than Ganguly, Sachin and Dravid after a point.

In the current squad, who else than Sachin can lend solidity to the batting order? Above all the invaluable experience is not available in free market which Sourav has gained for these years.

It's hard to believe if there is anyone in the current squad who can weather the storm of an early wicket. With Sehwag as a possibility to open with Sachin,the  middle order with a Yuvraj and Dhoni seems brittle. The Gambhir's and Uthappa's are technically inept to handle the Australian bounce and pace.

Replacing McGrath and Shane Warne was not easy for the Australians, but they did it in a way that it gave the seniors time to think and handover the attack to deserving candidates.

Brett Lee post McGrath era has led the attack in great style. We need to take out a leaf from the selection process from down under.

Another critical question is whether or not the timing of the move on is correct or not. The Australian tour as known is the toughest cricketing tour in the world.

To be honest, there is no place for diplomatic views on the same. The inexperienced squad has to repeat their T20 performances for double the time for the ODI's Down Under.

If that does not happen BCCI will have to go back to the experience of these seasoned dropped players. Getting them to square one again and the cycle of such questions coming up again.