This tour is more or less pointless, except from a marketing perspective. Maybe that is why the selectors have picked a full-strength team for the series. There was no point. Already the team play a large number of matches each year, and it's the same team, so some players definitely needed a break. They've made unknown players into overnight heroes, and legends far greater than they have ever been. It's time the Indians brought in some new players themselves.
The selection of Gagandeep and Paul is good, and at least one of them must get a match. Gagandeep rolled over Assam, then Baroda, and should keep up his impressive Ranji form in the series. That won't be too tough. The muscular pacer from Punjab has done very well in conditions which suit swing bowlers and will be a player to watch. SS Paul is another medium-pacer, who relies more on line and length as well as swing. Zaheer Khan steamrolled the Banglas in Dhaka in an ODI in 2003, and may go flat out to do so again, displaying the form that won Baroda a Ranji Trophy.
Gautam Gambhir will have another chance to convince the selectors that he is a long term option. The performance here will have little meaning given the vast difference between Bangladesh and some of the Indians' more formidable opposition, so the best he can do is free his arms and start going for his shots. His running between wickets is very good, but he stretches his front foot too far across.
Going by how much work Rahul Dravid as done so far, he definitely needs a rest, even if marketing concerns dictate otherwise. It's not been easy for him, as he has tried to bat the Indian team out of trouble, without much success, and keep wickets in ODI's, without any success at all. Sachin's injury may have had some effect on the way he bats, but his junior coach, Ramakant Achrekar, is right in saying he needs a break. Ideally, he should sit out, while Mohammed Kaif returns. He has been in good form, not just in ODI's, but also in Tests. He is a positive player who likes to keep the momentum going, which is fresh relief in a team full of pinch-blockers in the top-6. Irfan Pathan needs more runs too, given that he can bat, and has to go for big scores at a quick pace. For someone rated by his junior coach as a potential Number 6 basman, he has under-achieved. If he could get as many runs, the Indian selectors wouldn't need a keeper who can bat.
Is the spin trio really the right choice? Kumble has had to shoulder the burden of being the team's strike bowler for a long time and has worked very, very hard to get the wickets he took to come to Kapil Dev's 434 wickets in less than 100 matches. He needs a break. Harbhajan too needs a break- his temper is getting a little too hot for the team, and he, like Irfan Pathan, is under-achieving with the bat. Karthik is not in the best of form, except when Rahul Dravid is captain, on minefield pitches. This should have been an opportunity for Sairaj Bahutule and Ramesh Powar to show what the selectors had missed on for so many years, with bat and ball. Young Amit Mishra and Ramkumar could have done well, too. Sehwag can be tried as a regular spin option, adding more weight to his selection.
The Bangladeshis are no real opposition and have been losing not just to senior teams, but also their A-teams as well. A 2-0 scorecard should be the aim of this team, with at least one innings victory. Moreover, they can also try different experiments, with long term gains in mind. They have to change the way they play, and this is the best time.
