Back to this discussion, I hardly find any post, possibly one or two, which says that he should be playing for India. Nobody wants that so soon. It's once bitten, twice shy. Examples exist in Parthiv Patel, VRV Singh and Munaf Patel. The fans are just exploring the possibilities for a new, upcoming fast bowler, whom they find special. Just special, and not an automatic India prospect.
On the other hand, I find several posts, particularly from non-Indians and a few harsh Indian critics of the Indian team, panning his skills, his ability and even his very existence. They speak of it like it's a crime to discuss him at all.
Moreover, Ian Pont, Atul Sharma's coach, is a man of reasonable credibility. Among those who support him is Andy Flower, and surely, nobody will question his achievements and stature. He's written a book on essentials for fast bowlers, and surely, he understands fast bowling a lot better than most of us, who only talk cricket. He's worked with him, so he's a lot better informed than us, so we should let him talk, if he wishes to. He's spoken of him in other forums, and discussions have been very healthy and informative.
On the other hand, the aforementioned posters have been panning him, even go on to say he's rubbish, and no good, without having any idea of what is happening. Moreover, some of them have absolutely no understanding of the Indian domestic cricket scene to decide that he can't play for any team. Ponty's trying to clear all these misconceptions, but some folks out here then get into a needless, heated argument with him. Much as I don't endorse some of Ponty's responses, the kind of comments being passed around are enough to make any coach angry, and that's what happened.
