It’s not over yet for Yuvraj

The Sri Lankans are not exactly delighted to be playing the 5-match ODI series that starts today. Kumar Sangakarra and Angelo Mathews, in fact, have been vocal about how this has disrupted their off season training program. Meanwhile detractors of the BCCI in India are moaning the fact that the three Tests against West Indies which had to be called off have been replaced with ODIs. Hardly the right approach to when there is a Test series against Australia coming up soon they argue.

There is merit in both these grievances, but I reckon this ODI series will be of value to both teams in the build up to the World Cup: in India’s case it is of certainly huge help. I argue this on two counts. A fair number of ODIs should help get the team’s momentum going better. More pertinently, this series allows the selectors greater opportunity to assess talent and pick the squad for the big tournament.The itinerary for the next few months shows that India can play nine, and possibly 10 matches if they reach the final of the triangular tournament in Australia (England is the third team) in January 2015.

Without the five matches against Sri Lanka this would have been reduced to four or five — and that too after the squad had been finalized for the cut-off time precedes the triangular series in Australia.

This would have left the selectors grappling with choices. True, form in the domestic tournaments could also be factored in, but an international match offers a far more challenging environment to test the abilities of players.

I’m emphasizing on the task ahead for the selectors because the choice of players for the World Cup is still confounding. In my opinion, only 7 (Dhoni, Kohli, Raina, Rahane, Jadeja, Dhawan and Bhuvaneshwar) are certainties, which means 8 places are still up for grabs.

Ashwin and Shami have served the team well in the past 12-18 months without being spectacular (their fielding is an issue), Rohit Sharma appears to have recovered well from injury and the selectors could look for continuity instead of major upheavals. That still leaves five slots open.This situation makes the series against Sri Lanka vital.

The selectors and captain (though Dhoni is sitting out at least three of the five matches) have to look at players keenly to see who fits the bill, even if the selection to the World Cup is only in January.

Ideally, all aspirants to play in the World Cup should get a chance to play in these matches, though that is unlikely: the series has to be won too, so winning combinations have to be reached which also requires a reasonably settled dressing room. Yet, the scope for experimentation should not be squandered.

The impression is that veterans like Sehwag, Gambhir, Harbhajan, Yuvraj, Zaheer are completely out of the running. This has gained credence in the recent past with Yuvraj himself expressing some pessimism.

It is unlikely that any of these will play against Sri Lanka, but I wouldn’t discount them outright. Experience can be of great value as World Cup history has shown time and again. Illness, injury or loss of form of some player(s) can open the door which looks shut for them unexpectedly.

But while the seniors can hope that their past work is their best credential, the newer players need opportunities to establish theirs. The players I would like to see getting enough rope are spinners Akshar Patel and Karn Sharma, and batsmen Naman Ojha, Manish Pandey, Manish Tiwary and Robin Uthappa.These guys have been in very good nick in the past year and banging heavily on the doors of the selectors for greater attention which they deserve. The challenge is for the regulars to stave them off and for the selectors to pick the best performers.The next few weeks should be interesting!