With the possible exception of Abhimanyu Mithun, a last minute call-up to cover for injury, there will not be a single cricketer on the plane to Australia who does not deserve his place on current form. The errors committed in the selection exercise before the England tour seem to have thrust this pragmatic approach in which form has been given precedence over the record books and reputation. Also, there are young batsmen and young bowlers who carry the hopes that Team India has been placed on the fast track to the future.
The moment there was no place on the Test party for Harbhajan Singh, the combative sardar of spin at once declared himself capable of going on for six years more. The fact remains that he did not deserve a Test place until he proves he has rediscovered the true art of spin bowling, which he may have subjugated for the sake of success in the short game. That he also declared an injury on missing the tour is indicative of the major mystery of the true state of fitness among some of the seniors. The two spinners in the party are the first picks as Test tweakers.
None of the oldies who were considered members of the pace brigade as back-up to Zaheer Khan are in the party. This is probably the wisest decision that the selectors, coach and captain have arrived at. The likes of S Sreesanth and RP Singh were clearly not representative of the future of Indian cricket. Sreesanth should have been history soon after the World Cup win but he was needlessly brought in to cover for injury, so too RP. Mithun takes the place of Praveen Kumar but he is not exactly of express pace although he is young.
It does make sense to let loose the reigns on young and coltish pace bowlers like Yadav and Aaron. To take a leaf out of Australia's experience in quickly blooding the teenaged pace bowling sensation Pat Cummins is no shameful act. Young legs are most needed in a craft that needs physical fitness the most.
Quicks who have shown pace, diligence and discipline may thrive under the leadership of Zaheer, provided Zak is hundred percent fit. And since Irfan Pathan is only on a comeback trail and may deserve a look-in for ODIs first to test his international form, his omission from the Test squad causes no ripples.
No matter how good the quality of the spin specialists is, the fact remains that Team India can hope to achieve the 'Mission Impossible' of winning a series in Australia for the first time in history only if the pace bowlers do the striking. To have a fit Zaheer and an eager Ishant, who bowled brilliantly the last time he was on Australian soil, to head the attack does raise the expectations of a good showing in the four Tests.
The choice of young batsmen has been brilliant. Even when he made it to Australia the last time out for the ODI segment, Rohit Sharma was being talked of as the brightest prospect. He did such projections no harm by shining in the series before allowing his cricket to run to ground for what are thought to be 'personal' reasons. He allowed himself to go astray and needed to wake up to the reality of having to work his way back into the Test squad.
No one can ever hope to step into Sachin Tendulkar's gigantic shoes but if there is anyone with the requisite tight technique, it is probably Rohit. Now that there is a promise that he has actually put himself back on the right path, there is reason to believe Team India will be investing wisely in spending time on him. The IPL placed him on the path to fame and fortune but also spoiled him to an extent. He is back in the mainstream now, yoga, meditation and some dieting helping him no end.
Virat Kohli is one who has made the best use of the second chance he got in the West Indies series. The selectors changed tack to dump Yuvraj Singh because he failed to establish himself in the middle order. At some point, it had to be decided whether to seek the fulfillment of his promise in Tests or to lean back on team priorities and look at a youth policy. They have decided perhaps in the nick of time that youth is more valuable.
Given the frequency of injuries, it is possible that the squad may be diluted somewhat by replacements. If the think tank has learnt anything from the England experience, they would, in any eventuality, try to move on rather than go back. It must be the most tempting to hark about experience when it comes to finding quick replacements. A bit of forethought might do the trick this time because injuries are never going to go away from modern cricket. The selectors have done their homework better this time. The rest is up to Team India.
Ramaswamy Mohan, one of the country's leading cricket writers, fell in love with the game after watching his first Test match in 1960 as a 10-year-old. So fascinated was he with cricket that he dedicated his early life to becoming cricket correspondent of The Hindu, a post he held with acclaim for close to 20 years while reporting live 130 Test matches, five World Cups and over 300 One-Day Internationals. Having risen to Resident Editor at the Deccan Chronicle, Chennai, he still remains a keen student of the game who follows the happenings in Indian cricket with a particular relish.