Srikkanth backs Yuvraj for Tests

[J P K]

Kris Srikkanth, chairman of the Indian selection committee, has backed Yuvraj Singh to come good in Test cricket. Despite being a fixture in India's limited-overs plans for many years, Yuvraj has not managed to seal a permanent Test spot, but has forced his way back into the squad for England on the back of his starring role in the World Cup. "We all know that Yuvraj has quality," Srikkanth told the Indian Express. "Yes, I agree that he has so far failed to carry forward his ODI form into Test cricket. But he still has many years of cricket left in him. If he can cement his place in the Test squad, then that will surely augur well for Indian cricket." In the absence of several senior players, the ongoing West Indies series would have provided Yuvraj the perfect opportunity to revive his Test career, but a lung infection forced him out of the series. The vacancies in the middle order gave India's next generation of batsmen a rare Test look-in. Suresh Raina made good use of the opportunity, overcoming his weakness against short-pitched bowling to score two half-centuries, while Virat Kohli failed to build on his strong one-day performances. "We never had any doubt about Raina's talent," Srikkanth said. "He started off [his Test career] very well but then had a quiet period. But a player with such talent was bound to return to form. Like all good players he has worked on his weaknesses. This Indian team has a great dressing room atmosphere and the juniors always get the right advice from the seniors. But the bottom line is that you have to solve your own problem. "Raina worked hard and approached the task without any confusion. It's not easy for a youngster, who grows up on placid Indian wickets, to be a naturally good player of pace bowling. Raina has shown the requisite grit. He was ready to fight it out which was very heartening." While Srikkanth had words of praise for Raina, he refused to write off Kohli based on the failures in his first two Tests, in which he scored only 46 runs. "Virat should be allowed more time, he has just had his first brush with Tests," Srikkanth said. "These youngsters will learn from experience. Test cricket is different from ODIs and it's not easy to get used to the conditions. These days they barely play any side matches and by the time they get acclimatised to the conditions the tour is over. Kohli has performed in the ODIs and now it's all about taking that form into Test cricket. I'm sure he will work on his game and will improve. He has a bright future ahead." http://www.espncricinfo.com/india/content/current/story/521931.html

[Fontaine]

The more I see Bhajji struggling the more convinced I am that we'll need to include Yuvraj instead of Raina in the England tests. It's not ideal because Raina has really improved but given how England's batting struggles against left arm spin we really need a fifth part time bowling option because there's no way Sehwag will be able with his shoulder problems.

[Sachinism]

Yeh I'd go with Yuvi ahead of Raina too, though he needs a few practice games to regain touch

[vvvslaxman]

Yuvi has a wood over England. There is no denying that.

[saneindian]

The team management will face a tough choice on this Raina vs Yuvi for number 6. What works in Yuvi's favour is his experience of being on two previous England tours (though he only played ODIs) and also his good performances against England. Add to the mix the MoS performance in the WC and the chief selector's support, it looks certain that he will walk out at no 6 for us in the 1st test. However Raina, if he can hit a 100 in the next test (or a substantial innings of 75-80) and then bat well in the practice match can give the team a sweet headache.

[NareshK]

It would be great if Yuvraj can avoid playing those away from the body shots outside off stump. He is good against short pitch stuff but I dont think he does well when the ball swings and seams around and he doesnt have the patience needed for test cricket. Still I would like to see him come in at No.6 because of his experience and his left arm spin will be useful for India seeing as Bhajji is out of form and confidence.

[Fontaine]

Yes exactly. The next test and practice match are going to be crucial for Mishra/Bhajji and Raina/Yuvraj. I hate to drop Bhajji because when he does start bowling well then he really does a great job, but you can't deny that Mishra has got a lot of balls and routinely tosses the ball up even when batsmen are attacking him. It's really pathetic in a way. Mishra has had several opportunities to claim the first choice spinner role and each time he's disapointed. That first test against the Windies he completely choked after destroying them in the ODIs.

[BERGKAMP]

Play UV and Raina both and get rid of Bhajji. Combined they will probably take more wickets than Bhajji anyway. Sehwag Gambhir Dravid Tendulkar Laxman Raina Yuvi Dhoni Zaheer Ishant Sreesant

[NareshK]

Play UV and Raina both and get rid of Bhajji. Combined they will probably take more wickets than Bhajji anyway.

Yuvi and Raina are alright in ODIs but bowling in tests is a different thing altogether. We still need a regular spinner. At best, Yuvi can chip in a few overs and if he is lucky he may get a wicket but you cant expect anything more than that.

[BERGKAMP]

At best' date=' Yuvi can chip in a few overs and if he is lucky he may get a wicket but you cant expect anything more than that.[/quote'] Change Yuvi for Bhajji in this sentence and it describes perfectly the Bhajji of today.

[urbestfriend]

In first test, play both Yuvi and Raina , open with Dravid.

[Fontaine]

A very, very interesting and bold idea of playing Yuvi/Raina as the spinner and dropping Bhajji. Ofcourse this could only really happen on tracks that don't offer much spin where we know Bhajji doesn't bowl well. The only problem is that even when Bhajji doesn't take wickets he does generally do a good job of holding up one end and keeping things tight and stopping runs. Can a combination of Yuvi/Raina do that? Either way the spin department is a really big headache right now. It sucks twice as much since Sehwag's shoulder injury because you could always rely on him to bowl 10-14 overs in an innings and do a very good job, even pick up a wicket or two. At times I've felt he's actually outbowled Bhajji. But we don't even have that luxury now!

[cowboysfan]

The more I see Bhajji struggling the more convinced I am that we'll need to include Yuvraj instead of Raina in the England tests. It's not ideal because Raina has really improved but given how England's batting struggles against left arm spin we really need a fifth part time bowling option because there's no way Sehwag will be able with his shoulder problems.

I feel the same,bhajji is too unreliable atm.

[ganeshran]

Yuvi and Raina are not test bowlers. They take wickets in ODIs because batsman go after them, but in tests batsmen will wait for the bad ball and not play any rash shots. We need a specialist spinner in the side. I dont think Bhajji will be dropped so the onus is on him to perform and prove his detractors wrong.

[Fontaine]

Yuvi and Raina are not test bowlers. They take wickets in ODIs because batsman go after them, but in tests batsmen will wait for the bad ball and not play any rash shots. We need a specialist spinner in the side. I dont think Bhajji will be dropped so the onus is on him to perform and prove his detractors wrong.

Well I partly agree with you. It's not likely that Bhajji will be dropped but Yuvi is actually a good bowler. He's learned to bowl with a wide angle and since he's left handed the arm ball is always in with a chance for an LBW to the right hand batsmen. But he also has the one that turns. He picks up wickets lately because the batsmen weren't able to pick the arm ball not just because they were looking to go after him. But even if Yuvi/Raina pick up 1 or 2 wickets at 3/4 runs an over in 25 overs combined it wouldn't be any worse than what we've been seeing from Bhajji lately.

[phaedrus]

Play UV and Raina both and get rid of Bhajji. Combined they will probably take more wickets than Bhajji anyway. Sehwag Gambhir Dravid Tendulkar Laxman Raina Yuvi Dhoni Zaheer Ishant Sreesant

with the way things are going Bhajji might make more runs than him in the tests. Bhajji might not be at his best but replacing him with the Yuvi-Raina combination is really pushing it

[NareshK]

Yuvi and Raina are not test bowlers. They take wickets in ODIs because batsman go after them, but in tests batsmen will wait for the bad ball and not play any rash shots. We need a specialist spinner in the side. I dont think Bhajji will be dropped so the onus is on him to perform and prove his detractors wrong.

+1. I dont see Bhajji getting dropped as there is no other spinner who is good enough to be relied upon. Mishra and Ojha are vastly inexperienced and they havent been consistent enough to be considered as the sole spinning option. So its important for the team's sake that Bhajji gets his form and confidence back. Having Yuvraj in the side is an advantage as he can support Bhajji by chipping in with a few overs and maybe pick up a wicket.

[The Outsider]

Yuvraj shouldn't be anywhere near the test team - enough is enough.

[Sachin=GOD]

I think if Raina performs well in the 3rd Test also then he has a very strong chance of being in the starting 11 in the 1st Test in England. As for Yuvi or Raina being needed as bowlers in Tests, it would be quite useless because as Ganeshran said, this is Test cricket and batsmen are not going to go after them. I do not see Bhajji being dropped from the side so he's the one who has to raise his game and perform well. Also, Bhajji is not so bad as many people here are making him out to be.

[BeautifulGame]

The nonsense against Bhajji is laughable.He isnt having a good series in WI but he was excellent in the last 2 test in the SA series.No one in their right mind would drop Bhajji from the team. As for anyone claiming Yuvi is as good a test spinner as Bhajji they should stop watching test cricket.