Arjun
Cricketer Of The Year
We've seen the Indians try different things to get the balance right. They've tried to play seven batsmen, but that weakens the bowling disproportionately, and the batting often can't make up for it. They've tried Yusuf Pathan, but have been scared of bowling him, and he hardly gets to bat. They've tried Ravindra Jadeja fully, but he's fully found out to be poor, with bat and ball. They've not got enough out of Bhajji and Praveen, and are not keen. Ideally, they've got one more option- Laxmi Ratan Shukla, a middle-order batsman from Bengal, who's also a regular change seamer.
He's presently an ideal selection for the ODI side, with a lot going his way. He's a frontline batsman and useful support seamer, which strengthens the batting. He's a seam-up bowler, so the Indians can play two proper spinners, which means, they play to their strength. While he isn't outright quick, he's decently fast for a batsman turning in overs, and is very accurate and uses conditions smartly. Unlike the part-time spinners, who need a lot of protection, he can take more risks and step up, although a McGrath-esque performance is beyond him- Shane Watson or Paul Collingwood, maybe. He's capable of building partnerships as well as striking a series of lusty blows, unlike those who can't hit a six or can only attack all the time. He's also a very good outfielder, which is a plus for India. Most importantly, he carries the weight of over a century of List-A games, and nearly as many wickets, and being a captain and senior player for his teams, he's a smart player.
What goes against him, apart from the selectors' lack of interest, is that he's a batsman first- when the bowling needs to be beefed up, he's not a strike bowler to choose. You don't hear of him leading domestic bowling charts. Besides, he hasn't faced international opposition in a long time, outside of the IPL. With the spin-bowling batsmen not up to the mark with the ball and the bowlers not quite in the runs, they can turn to this batsman who can bowl seam-up. It improves the team composition drastically.
He's presently an ideal selection for the ODI side, with a lot going his way. He's a frontline batsman and useful support seamer, which strengthens the batting. He's a seam-up bowler, so the Indians can play two proper spinners, which means, they play to their strength. While he isn't outright quick, he's decently fast for a batsman turning in overs, and is very accurate and uses conditions smartly. Unlike the part-time spinners, who need a lot of protection, he can take more risks and step up, although a McGrath-esque performance is beyond him- Shane Watson or Paul Collingwood, maybe. He's capable of building partnerships as well as striking a series of lusty blows, unlike those who can't hit a six or can only attack all the time. He's also a very good outfielder, which is a plus for India. Most importantly, he carries the weight of over a century of List-A games, and nearly as many wickets, and being a captain and senior player for his teams, he's a smart player.
What goes against him, apart from the selectors' lack of interest, is that he's a batsman first- when the bowling needs to be beefed up, he's not a strike bowler to choose. You don't hear of him leading domestic bowling charts. Besides, he hasn't faced international opposition in a long time, outside of the IPL. With the spin-bowling batsmen not up to the mark with the ball and the bowlers not quite in the runs, they can turn to this batsman who can bowl seam-up. It improves the team composition drastically.
