After another day of disappointment it seems like India are going back in time when they would go abroad to come back battered and bruised. When we lost in England we had an excuse saying that some of the players were injured, it was not a full strength team. But this time around we have a full-strength team. We have our best batters batting and our bowling too based on current form is probably the best available in the country. Then what is the reason for this consistent flopping? Surely this is a team which does play with a lot of pride. But one thing that we must keep in mind that this is state when we have stalwarts like Tendulkar, Dravid and Laxman in the team. What happens when these great players hang up their boots? Will India take another 4 years after that to rebuild? Can we afford that according to me the answer is No.

It does seem like the right time for Indian selectors to blood some youngsters into the team. Even these youngsters would take some time to get used to the rigours of test cricket. Before the Sydney test began there was talks about Rohit Sharma replacing Virat Kohli. This would have been really churlish had Kohli been dropped after one bad test match. There is no doubt that Rohit Sharma is an exceptional talent and he is the future of Indian cricket and he is also in good form. Hence it makes sense to play him but playing him at the expense of Kohli who also like Rohit is likely to be seen in the Indian middle order in the years to come would be a mistake. How about playing both Kohli and Sharma together in the team? This would mean we would have to make a place by dropping some senior player. In the best interest of Indian cricket it is the time to give younger players an opportunity to play and prove themselves. They may lack the experience, technique to cope with difficult conditions but at least we are building something for the future. Worst case scenario India may go on to lose a few test matches, but we are not winning any in the first place! Nor are we looking like a team which can win a test match abroad.

This is an opportunity to test the likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane three players who will form the core of Indian batting in the years to come. We all know how talented these players are, so it would not be a too much of a gamble to put faith in their talents. Moreover, these players have shown great drive and determination just to make it to the national team. Rohit Sharma today is completely different to what he was when he toured Australia in 2008. He is more matured, he has better understanding of his game, he wants to bat for longer periods, and he wants to make big scores. Virat Kohli has been a star player in the ODI's. He has been so consistent with his batting in the last year that he has made a regular place for himself in the middle order. Unlike players of his age Kohli is determined to make a big score every time he goes out to bat. His hunger for runs does remind us of the great Sachin Tendulkar! Ajinkya Rahane, the Mumbai boy averages 67 in Ranji trophy! He has scored tonnes of runs in domestic against all opposition just to get himself noticed. He also made a good impression whenever he was given an opportunity in ODI cricket. Surely this has to be the time when these youngsters are given a chance when their form is good and their confidence is high! In addition to these players we have very talents players like Abhinav Mukund, Manish Pandey, Manoj Tiwary, Cheteshwar Pujara, Suresh Raina, and Dinesh Karthik waiting in the wings.

Hopefully the selectors also have a plan of action for the future.  Because time is running out and loss after loss does not instil any confidence in the team nor the supporters. Hope India can turn-around this and get back to winning ways when they are playing abroad and if not that at least put up a fight show some spirit.
 

Halla boll!!

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