Insipid ...

Insipid ... i can just about imagine the discussion at the team meeting before the first test between India and Sri lanka... the Indian team cannot possibly leave out a senior, that is just not done you see. In Indian society, seniority is everything, ability... thats ok, good sometimes, to have it around when your in a really tight spot, but seniority is everything, basically means you don't have to do jack for as long as you want since you did something about 5 years back, which, of course seems like yesterday, some actually think it was yesterday, since the TV channels have nothing else of note to show.

It is beyond comprehension why every Indian team slips back to the same problem, Mr Ganguly actually looked like he was changing things during his captaincy, but , as has allways been with Indian cricket, people don't know when to move on or step aside or take a break, or prioritize...

If India has to keep going into a test in "familiar" conditions with 6 batsmen plus a wicketkeeper batmen and only four bowlers there is very little chance of India ever being a team that can consistently challenge the best in the world in test cricket... in the off test, with one bowler doing an outstanding job, is the only victories India will get, never the team bowling performance, non of the, 'hunting as a unit stuff'.

A lot of people were surprised by the way the South African selectors have dropped and shocked some of the so called legends in the South African team, every time they have done this , whether they have done this with the intention of getting a better performance or because they have to implement a system of 'positive discrimination', it has worked in some way. Shaun Pollock, probably one of the top ten all rounders in the last 25 years of test cricket was given more than a nudge... if anyone has been watching the new brigade of South African fast men bowl you would see the merit they see in getting some young promising men into test cricket when they are still bowling fast.

That of course brings us to the quite fascinating point about fast bowlers in India over the last 10 years. If you want to see them bowl fast you have to catch them in there first two seasons, after which they become ginger, dodder up and let it float in with the seam up bowlers.

Some statistics are absolutely staggering, if you have the time and patience look up the bowling averages of all the Players who have bowled for India in test matches at home since around 2003... it is shocking!