Pankaj Singh definitely deserved a run in this series; he has only had two actual India A matches against non-scrub sides, and only one of them did he actually get to bowl (0/53, 2/16) v. South Africa A at the Kotla a long time ago. And you're right that India isn't deep enough for selectors to completely block him out of selection. But I think if you actually watch him bowl, there's not a ton of promise. He's not quick. He doesn't really swing the ball much. He seems pretty clever and is more or less line&length. That could work at the test level, but it's not likely. Otherwise, where's Joginder Sharma in the test mix? His domestic numbers are unreal.
I feel Dhawan and Mishra are perfect examples of players picked after years of experience in the system, which is why both are doing well- at least Mishra in the limited sample space. Joginder, on the other hand, is past it now, and the last few seasons (plagued by injury) were poor- you can't pick him on his 2004-05 heroics alone. There are so many better options than him, such as Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and even then, Irfan Pathan. Even Ravindra Jadeja was picked for Tests midway through one single, solitary, good season, and he's done well so far. That's not even counting blokes like Nayar, LR Shukla, Rajat Bhatia, who have played in the top tier, unlike Joginder.
We know Pankaj Singh is not quick. Nobody who plays that much cricket is quick anyway. He's not slow either, and his pace has gone up a lot more. With his height, he can get more bounce and carry, and use the short ball well. He's not someone who's very good at leading the pace attack, and needs some aggressive or crafty (or a mix of both) partner at the other end. When the team management gets it right, he's the man to throw the ball to.
I don't know why you discount Umesh; his pace and fuller length is the most promising thing India have seen in a long time...and he's played 2 seasons of Ranji and just cut his teeth in test cricket.
Actually, I don't discount Umesh, but his frequent injuries and lack of consistency may make him unsustainable over a long period. Already he's been dropped from the final of the last ODI series the team played, for, guess who, Vinay Kumar! He's now slated to be dropped from the ODI side to make way for ODI-ready but mediocre seam-up bowlers.
1. Ishwar Pandey has been awesome in Ranji in his 2.5 seasons of play. I've seen a decent bit of footage of him bowling for MD; he's bowls at a pretty quick pace, uses his height to good advantage, and is pretty accurate. Obviously he couldn't play on this India A series b/c he was on the tour to play SA A, but I really hope he keeps tearing it up in Ranji so that he gets into the SA touring party.
The same Ishwar Pandey was pounded by Chris Gayle, a regular international opener, on the flat Pune pitch, and then you wonder why Indian domestic regulars and youngsters are often benched or sidelined by IPL teams (which I don't approve of, at all). There's a huge difference between bowling in docile Ranji games in seamer-friendly Central/North Zone regions and on flat decks against top international batsmen. He's only two seasons old. Let him play two more.
2. Praveen Kumar is a better bowler; he has a better domestic record and has proven himself in a much wider variety of conditions (some pretty good pitches in WI and England). When it's not swinging, he's still very tidy. Remember that at one point was ranked the best ODI bowler in the world pre-2011 injury; not saying the rankings are the all and end all, but he's skillful AND economical. People say anger is his problem, but I worry more about him staying fit.
Irfan Pathan was a much better bowler, and also a more productive selection in the XI, and look at what's happened to him now. Praveen has struggled to take wickets, and can't even keep things tidy on a flat pitch. Much of my concerns about Indian seamers are related to their ineptitude on flat pitches. Add to that his poor fitness, lack of athleticism on the field and a very volatile temperament and street-brawling instinct that makes Sreesanth's antics look friendly. Let him too finish two more seasons, and perform with bat and ball. In fact, even over the same period of time beginning from Jan 2012, Irfan has done a lot better- 19 wickets in 12 games against Praveen's eight in seven.
3. Bucky? Is that Bhuvi's nickname? As long as Bhuvi is economical when the ball isn't doing anything, he's still better than Pankaj Singh imho. He wasn't that economical v. Australia, though he didn't really bowl much in the Aus series either given the pitches. He's a useful batsman and a better fielder than most Indian bowlers, including Pankaj Singh, who can be a bit of a donkey.
Call him Bhuvi, BK, Bucky, little man from Lagaan, I feel his success is largely exaggerated by the fact that he's played plenty of low-scoring ODIs- on flat decks where scores over 275 are the order of the day, he's of no use- unless he can score some runs. Already he was found out in his debut Test series against Australia, when conditions did not favour seam/swing bowling, even as the Aussie bowlers tried hard and gave it everything, and got better returns. Too much is being expected out of him, and other options need to be kept open. I agree, he can bat a lot, his batting record is there to see, but I don't see him as a capable specialist bowler, owing to the weaknesses I mentioned. Fast bowling is a big athlete's aspect.
