The Team India at Hyderabad ..

MSD include Mishra and Munaf..

If I were Mahendra Singh Dhoni I would make scope for inclusion of Amit Mishra and even Munaf Patel. What would be more difficult would be to find out who would be the two players whose place these two take up. Given the kind of overconfidence that has been shown in Ishant Sharma and Harbhajan Singh it would be a monumental decision to find place for two bowlers.

India had done well in the series yet the winning combination minus Gambhir did the trick for Australia for leveling the series at Mohali. The seven match series is now reduced to a new 3 game series if we exclude the four games that leave the two sides leveled at 2-2.

I would rather be little strong in inclusion of Munaf Patel for Ishant Sharma. One can not take his place for granted. Some people may argue that even Johnson went for far too many runs in the last game could he be replaced. The situation for Australia is different they are laden with far too many injuries. It is highly commendable that injury depleted Australians have managed to level the series at Mohali. Ishant Sharma has to be rested, no, dropping is not the right word. And one of Jadeja or Raina has to be rotated for making scope and space for Mishra to be reined in. Gambhir anyway walsk in for Virat Kohli.

My team for Hyderbad might look something like this –

Sehwag, Gambhir, Yuvraj, Sachin, Dhoni, Raina, Harbhajan, Praveen Kumar, Amit Mishra, Ashish Nehra & Munaf Patel.

Yes I also wonder if I could rest Jadeja from my scheme of things.. yet that is what I propose for I know that Mishra would be a far too improved bowler and Raina too can bowl if the need arises. Rainas fielding capabilities and his far too better batting skills made my decision making somewhat simpler.

I know Mahendra Singh does not give any heed to whatever I have to say about team composition yet I must add here hurriedly that whichever team wins at Hyderbad is going to be winning the series. I may be too premature in saying so yet it is an important game in no uncertain terms.

May we then have for the firs time an Indian XI that has been listed by one Abhaya Sharma. I know Dhoni would disagree.. I would rate his decision superior to my line of thinking.. after all he has led the country admirably.. he has far too greater knowledge of the game and conditions that the team has to face. He alone can be the best judge of the situation. I did have something up against him when he did not show confidence in Kumar and with four games already been played his contribution has been exemplary except in the first game where he went for 77 runs. He assured of his place with a scintillating 40 runs in that game to scare the Australians along with Harbhajan Singh. He should play all the seven games if does not suffer injury. Harbhajan too despite his poor show in his own craft is doing well with the bat so I can not touch him or rather I should not touch him. I however have great sympathy for excluded Jadeja.. his bowling efforts does not warrant for me to drop him yet I know that he is primarily taken as a batsman and that is the reason that I have chosen Raina over him in the final XI. I must add without any hesitation that Jadeja the bowler is quite a find of the series.

Australians have always been adding up to the list of their injury woes.. even if Moises is not as dangerous yet the inability to include him as a regular bowler today would not be in the interest of the Australians. They are far too depleted side and if India does not register a series win against them now it would not be as simpler in the years to come.

Abhaya Sharma
Novmber 5 2009 9:10 AM IST