Amit Mishra should be preferred over Ravindra Jadeja, feels Kumble

Thursday, November 05, 2009

After all the debate over what is best, a seven-match series or a five-match one, it’s all boiled down to a three-match contest. With the series tied at 2-2, whoever wins the best of three affair from hereon will emerge the hard-fought winner. In any case, everyone expected a close series and until now that’s exactly what we have got, haven’t we?

Both teams aren’t giving away anything and even though the Aussies have been hit, or should we say mauled, by injuries; Peter Siddle being the latest casualty, they have done well. A lot of credit must go to the visitors for holding their own under the circumstances.

The irony is that for both India and Australia, this is the beginning of a new season. The Indian domestic season has begun with the Ranji Trophy getting off to a start on Tuesday and the Australian season will begin soon after the team returns home. That, the Australians, especially, are nursing so many injuries, means that the domestic season will assume more importance as additional talents will have to be identified. The situation also goes to show that the traditional seasons no longer hold much value, with cricket being played almost round the year, in one form or the other.

Amit Mishra should be preferred over Ravindra Jadeja, feels Kumble. © Getty Images

In the current series, for the Aussies it all boils down to playing whoever is fit and available rather than the best players and this is something the Indians must seize on. Gautam Gambhir is expected to be fit for the Hyderabad game and so the Indians should have their full team to choose from.

They did make a hash of the none-too-difficult chase in Mohali but I would like to think of it as a one-off. The batting is doing quite well otherwise and it only needs the youngsters to step up a little more.

Here Ravinder Jadeja’s role needs examination. He is doing well with the ball but hasn’t done anything with the bat when he’s been picked as an all-rounder. Perhaps the team management needs to make a call here on whether Amit Mishra will be a better bet in the pure role of a bowler. He is an attacking leg-spinner, who is always looking for wickets and if he’s been left out because Jadeja is a better batting bet, that theory needs some revisiting as that bet hasn’t come off as yet.

Hyderabad will be a high-scoring game with the pitch an absolute batting beauty. The outfield too provides full value for shots and both teams will enjoy batting there. None more than Sachin Tendulkar, who seemingly has crossed more milestones than there are in the whole of India, and yet is poised on the threshold of another one. Just a handful of runs away from 17,000 runs, Sachin, will like what he sees in Hyderabad.

Of course, he would have got there in Mohali itself but we all know what to expect from Asoka de Silva!