Dasa said:
Anyway, I think some people are being a bit negative about this series win. I definitely see many positives coming out of the tour, positives that outweigh the negatives IMO. Considering India has been average in Tests for a while now, this tour has been a definite improvement...
Some good points there. While many still label this series win as one against a weak West Indian side, it's still an improvement over four years ago, when a similar team played for the West Indies and THEY won the series. Moreover, this Indian team is relatively a new-look unit, while that one was a better-established bunch. Ultimately, there's nothing, and I repeat, NOTHING, like defeating the West Indians in their own turf.
Not quite the Number 1 or even Number 2 team, but still a notable improvement. However, the team management should not take any backward steps from here, but should keep on improving. The idea to play five bowlers was a good one, but after the series-squaring defeat against England at home, they went backwards and played a sixth batsman. Ultimately, that sixth batsman was just excess baggage when needed most. Let's just hope they don't go back to playing just one spinner abroad in their forthcoming Tests.
For all the complaints that experts and fans had about Harbhajan's performance away from India, he's not had everything his way. His Test career abroad has been intermittent and when he's played, he's been a lone spinner, and the only bowler capable of running through a side anywhere. In comparison, the medium-pacers (and there have been one too many) played in supposedly friendly conditions and finished with sub-par figures. In fact, their overall figures are nearly as bad as Harbhajan's away stats, and he's got more five-wicket hauls abroad than each seamer has in his whole career, while Kumble has more than all the seamers put together. They don't need a third seamer abroad, unless that bowler can contribute something extra.
About your positives, you've got some valid points about Jaffer. His double-century may be on a flat track, but it's still substantial. Throughout the series, he's looked as much a part of the Indian side as one of the top five, unlike other openers who were not, and were picked just for the job. His reasonably vast array of strokes apart, his running between the wickets and his infielding were impressive, and he's definitely worth a shot in ODI's. When you can have Kaif, Venugopal and Uthappa in the ODI side, there's no reason why you can't consider Jaffer. The ODI and Test selections will be a lot closer, which will be good for both teams.
As for Sreesanth and Munaf, they've done significantly well this series, compared to the forty-plus performances of the then first-choice seamers last time. Sreesanth is a mystery of sorts, given his small size and the ability to suddenly bowl a few faster deliveries. His aggression and also the way he works out batsmen is quite remarkable. In Munaf, they have a potential striker who can compete with the Harmisons, Ntinis and Mohammed Asif of today, but he must be groomed properly. If he can carry his Test form into ODI's, that will add a genuine striker to the Indian bowling unit, which still seems to rely on Agarkar. Let's just hope that happens, because he's got everything a top class strike bowler needs.
However, if they continue to play just these two in Tests, there are chances that they will get overbowled, especially abroad. They still need a stock third seamer to back up for them, even if he isn't a striker. That stock seamer should also score runs, at least in chunks, if not big hundreds. This is where someone like Sanjay Bangar will come useful, and he did rather well when called upon to support the bowlers. That's why Irfan Pathan should still be in the frame, because he's not only reasonably good with the bat, but he's also one of the top seamers available for India.
Ultimately, even if the Indians get back to Number Three and even make a claim for Number Two, nothing should stop them from trying for Number One. That should always be their aim, if they are to become a top Test team.
What has that got to do with Lara? Who effectively got three or more starts in the series.
