Venkatesh Prasad makes Test squad

The Prabhudesai hall, nested in the Wankhede stadium, Bombay, was abuzz with one question on Thursday. "What is wrong with skipper Sourav Ganguly?"

Even as the selectors quibbled for their candidates in the conference room of the Wankhede stadium, scribes in the hall were debating the behaviour of Ganguly. The Indian skipper was docked 75 per cent of his match fees for mouthing expletives to Russell Arnold, and, in the process, bringing the game to disrepute, in the last meeting between the two sides in the ongoing triseries on Wednesday.

As expected, the first query hurled at chairman of selectors Chandu Borde was: "Your thoughts on Sourav Ganguly's behaviour?"

'What can we say,' replied the bemused former Test batsman.

BCCI honorary secretary Jaywant Lele added that board president A C Muthiah would be speaking to the skipper, 'asking him to improve his conduct'.

It must be said that the same media had inked realms of columns praising the aggressive attitude of the Aussies, led by the all-conquering Steve Waugh, when they arrived in India for the Test series earlier this year. Here is a man who has been instrumental in turning this Indian side into an aggressive unit Thus, this pious mission to discipline the 'condemnable' behaviour of Ganguly beats all logic.

Proceedings headed towards selectorial matters, eventually!

In response to a question, "Why haven't you picked a third opener?," Borde replied: 'Since it is only a three-Test series we thought that we would not require a third opener.'

Two things to be noted here: firstly, the last time we didn't pick a third opener (for the Zimbabwe tour) the excuse was the same. 'It is only a two-Test series.' India eventually went on to lose the second Test to Zimbabwe, enabling the home side draw the Test series. A back injury to opener Sadagoppan Ramesh forced India to experiment with debutant Hemang Badani (in the first innings) and 'keeper Sameer Dighe (in the second innings) opening the innings, and end up with disastrous effects.

Secondly, the last time India played a five-Test series was in 1991-92, in Australia, which is a decade ago.

Patience seems to have deserted the selectors, as they dropped all-rounder Ajit Agarkar for, what they termed, 'non-performance'. It was, further, stated that Venkatesh Prasad has been picked because it was felt that he had more experience than Debashish Mohanty, and the wickets in Lanka would favour seam bowling.

Another reason cited in Prasad's favour was the fact that Sri Lanka have three left-handed batsmen in the side and 'Prasad has a tendency to bowl well against the southpaws'.

The selectors probably know something we don't. Prasad has played four Tests against Sri Lanka thus far. And taken four wickets for 411 runs, at an average of 102.75, a 'strike rate', if that is the word for it, of 184.5, and a best of 2/104.

Incidentally, Prasad led the Indian attack on the last tour of Lanka, when Sanath Jayasuriya and Roshan Mahanama authored a world record partnership that hauled Lanka to a 900-plus Test score.

Just for the record, the team then comprised three left-handers: Sanath Jayasuriya, Arjuna Ranatunga and Chaminda Vaas.

Borde went on to inform that performance and potential of the players, in conjunction with the requirements of the team, were prime criteria borne in mind by the selectors while deciding on the final team.

He said Sachin Tendulkar has been picked on condition of him getting a thumbs-up following a final bone scan on his injured foot, scheduled for August 10. If at that point Tendulkar is deemed still unfit, then Jacob Martin will replace him in the squad, he said.

Ashish Nehra and V V S Laxman were both ruled out through injury. Laxman will, on his return, come to Bombay and consult Dr Anant Joshi. Surgery has been diagnosed as being required, and it is expected to keep the batsman out for about six weeks.

Nehra, meanwhile, has a groin injury he has been carrying for the last three matches, and will require two months of complete rest.

The selectors said that while they had considered Mumbai’s Vinayak Mane, Baroda’s Connor Williams and Railways' Sanjay Bangar for the opener's slot, Maharashtra's Hrishikesh Kanitkar was considered for the middle order.

The 16-member squad for the upcoming three-Test series against Sri Lanka:
Sourav Ganguly (captain), Rahul Dravid (vice captain), Shiv Sunder Das, Sadagoppan Ramesh, Hemang Badani, Javagal Srinath, Harvinder Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Dinesh Mongia, Sameer Dighe, Rahul Sanghvi, Mohammad Kaif, Sachin Tendulkar, Sairaj Bahutule, Zaheer Khan, Venkatesh Prasad.