Dropping Harbhajan- That's too tough a call to take, especially if they're going into the semis of the Champions Trophy. While statistics may not back him, he may provide more in terms of intangibles- particularly experience, which can translate into knowledge for the other spinners. Already the pacers are handicapped because of Zaheer's absence. Of course, the next time the Indians play a needless, useless ODI tournament (Kitply, Wealthsurance, all those obscure sponsors), he can sit out of it, with Ishant.
Now a little thought is required here. Every other team has at least three multi-skilled players. Not quite the genuine all-rounder by definition, but each of these teams has got enough players who can be at least decent at both skills. We can identify two types in them-
- Type A: Watson, Hopes, Cameron White, Luke Wright, Jacob Oram, Shoaib Malik, Albie Morkel, Roelof van der Merwe, Sanath, Matthews, Gayle
- Type B: Johnson, Lee, Hauritz, Swann, Broad, Vettori, Franklin, Mills, Afridi, Rana Naved, Botha, Parnell (?), Kulasekara, Thushara, Bravo
You can guess what each type is. Some may be swapped. Kallis and Flintoff may be left out because they're full-fledged all-rounders who can go solo, while these operate in groups. I've also left out Type C, which includes the wicketkeepers.
Now India need to identify some players who can go the distance, for either type. We've seen the Indians lack bowling strength when they play seven batsmen, and with five bowlers, the batting solidity is missing. Put two together, and they need multi-skilled players, and more than one. Genuine all-rounders are very hard to come by, so this is the next best. They need to groom a pool, to get one of Type A and two of Type B, to maintain balance in the team. More importantly, they need to find players who can adapt to this properly, so that they don't compromise on their main skill. Who can do the multiple role of either type for India?
