The No.6 dilemma for Indian cricket team

Yuvraj, Raina or Tiwary? Who will make it to the final XI?

With just a mere 15 days to go for the first encounter between the India and England, all eyes will be on the team that is due to be selected for the first clash on November 5 by the all new Indian selection committee. They will be selecting the Indian national team for the first time after their election to the post.

They have already made it to the headlines after the selection of Indian A team which didn’t have a single spinner in it. They were heavily criticized by some while praised by many. Now it will be interesting to see what they come up with on the D-Day.

Within a span of 10 days all the focus has shifted from ‘change in captainship’ to ‘who will acquire the no.6 spot in the team?’

Well, this is the question which has started troubling every Indian cricket lover and has definitely got to the Indian selectors’ nerves. They are, at the moment, the men under the spotlight and tremendous pressure, because a slight mistake on their part and they will be in for huge criticism. Because in a country obsessed with cricket, every department starting from selection of proper team to the individual performances on the field is closely observed.

Yuvraj has already proved his form and fitness by striking a jubilant double century in the Duleep trophy, making it extremely difficult for Raina to get back into the playing XI.

It was supposed to be a tug of war between two extremely talented middle order batsman, but the ongoing practice match between India A and England has added a whole new dimension to this battle. With Tiwary striking a prolific 93 runs on the first day of the test, he has made his point clear. Even though he missed on a ton, he proved that he is no mug with the bat and is ready for the tests, adding an extra bit of pressure both on Yuvi and the selectors. Raina, however, failed in the cause making just 20 runs. Yuvraj stroked a brilliant 59 runs but it was Tiwary’s day out .

However, Tiwary might be considered too young to make a test debut right now. He hasn’t even played enough one-dayers, but in today’s era one’s talent count more than one’s age. And in this respect, Tiwary seems racing ahead of Raina- atleast in tests.

The opening pair of Vijay and Rahane also failed to make a mark giving relief to the Indian opening duo of Viru and Gambhir who were supposed to be under serious threat if this pair had clicked. After the performance in the first innings of the practice match, the Indian team seems quite predictable for there first clash against England.

We can say nothing till November 5 about what’s going to happen; but only hope that the new Indian selection committee comes out with something magical as it’s payback time for what we got a year and half earlier. Lets keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best.