Jump to content

Dear selectors, what's wrong with Wasim Jaffer?

1983-2011

By 1983-2011
in Cricket Talk

Recommended Posts

1983-2011 Newbie

1983-2011

Posted
Posted
Is he too old to play Test cricket? He will be 35 next month. Is he out of form? He has batted better than Sachin Tendulkar has this year for Mumbai. Is he a slow mover on the field? HeÃÔ certainly not slower than Gautam Gambhir or Ravichandran Ashwin to name two of the handful of slow movers in the Indian Test side. Does he have an attitude problem? ThatÃÔ hard to tell. Jaffer was accused by some of being laid-back and maybe thatÃÔ the only problem with him. Perhaps all he needs to work on is acting enthusiastic and improving his footballing skills in order to find a place in the Indian Test team. Jokes apart, Jaffer is, in the eyes of most conventional thinkers, probably too old to represent India. What to do we do have this obsession with youth. Not that there is anything very wrong with that. That said, whatÃÔ the harm in mentioning Jaffer in an argument by Ashish Magotra in an earlier piece on these pages giving a not-so-old-timer like Jaffer another year or two in the Indian team? If there is no long term prospect in sight to take GambhirÃÔ or Virender SehwagÃÔ place at the top of the batting order (and itÃÔ high time somebody did take one of the two places held down by them for an unjustifiably long period of time), there is some merit in looking at the matter on a year-to-year basis. ItÃÔ the way many good companies are run. And there is a lot in common between a company and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The business thinkers among you will surely know that not all decisions have to be long term plays. Some can be nothing more than sound tactical maneuvers made to keep things ticking until the resources needed to formulate a more visionary strategic move are identified. A good working unit can certainly be forged using players that are being groomed to serve the team for a long time and others who are there to fill in for the ones firing blanks for the time being. Jaffer, at the ripe but not-rotten age of 35, might be the right man to handle the job of opening the batting, until Gambhir rediscovers his form or someone else younger or better makes his presence felt. Considering Jaffer knows he doesnÃÕ have too many more years left in him to play for India, he will, in all likelihood, be extra determined to do well and may not turn out to be as laid-back as his critics back then made him out to be. This ÃÃast roll of the dice attitude could prove to be an invaluable asset in a team which doesnÃÕ seem have too many players hungry and skilled enough to do well in the longest and most testing form of the game. Rahul Dravid, for one, was a huge fan of JafferÃÔ, which must mean Jaffer was, and is, a hardworking fellow. Dravid would never support someone who wasnÃÕ. In fact, Dravid liked Jaffer so much he even picked him for his Bangalore IPL team! And no, IÃÎ not suggesting Jaffer should be part of IndiaÃÔ T20 team. Just that the quiet, unassuming, modest, Dravid-like (and Dravid liked) chap deserves a final chance to play for India. He certainly has the numbers to prove it. And his technique is sound. What does India have to lose by giving him another shot? Gambhir? Well, Gambhir, despite what Mahender Singh Dhoni keeps droning on about the need for a left-handed opener, has pretty much lost it. Sehwag? Well, Sehwag has been caught whispering not-so-softly to his friends in the media that he wouldnÃÕ mind going back to the safety and comfort of the middle order. So why not give the opening slots to Jaffer and Ajinkya Rahane? Dravid would certainly approve. Oh and how do I know Rahul Dravid likes the idea of Rahane as opener? Simple. Dravid picked him for his IPL team.
http://www.firstpost.com/blogs/dear-selectors-whats-wrong-with-wasim-jaffer-604737.html
1983-2011 Newbie

1983-2011

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Too old. We should be looking towards the future
If there is no long term prospect in sight to take Gambhir's or Virender Sehwag's place at the top of the batting order (and it's high time somebody did take one of the two places held down by them for an unjustifiably long period of time), there is some merit in looking at the matter on a year-to-year basis. Jaffer, at the ripe but not-rotten age of 35, might be the right man to handle the job of opening the batting, until Gambhir rediscovers his form or someone else younger or better makes his presence felt. So why not give the opening slots to Jaffer and Ajinkya Rahane?
Cevno Newbie

Cevno

Posted
Posted

He can be a solid option to have till others develop. Should give him and Mukund a go, as i said in the tour thread here. Rahane is not a proper opener, imo.

Cevno Newbie

Cevno

Posted
Posted
He is the best right hand opening batsmen currently after Sehwag
He is overrated based on IPL. Maybe can get a go in T20 right now, but that's it probably.
NareshK Newbie

NareshK

Posted
Posted

He has always been a batsman with decent technique and temperament who even did well in some overseas conditions but got dropped after inconsistent performances at international stage and couldnt make it back after the emergence of Sehwag and Gambhir. Even in the Ranji final, he scored a century on a track which was helping seamers and where most would have failed. But dont know if the selectors would bring him back into the test side at this stage. Its not necessarily a positive decision going forward.

gakgupta Community Regular

gakgupta

Posted
Posted

I would take him....if Mathew Hayden can be brought into the national side at 30's and hussey can be brought in.....why not wasim jaffer....he has 2 to 3 years left in him (only test side)....this will also gives youngsters like mukund and unmukt chand more time at domestic level.

Number Grand Master

Number

Posted
Posted

He is doing what he is used to in order to come to Indian team only to fail again and go back to where he belongs. What's wrong with Jaffar ? Select him and Jaffar himself will answer the question himself once he plays at the intl level.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...