Pathan Brothers Set to Represent India After 29 Years

Every one knows Irfan Pathan. The promising left arm fast bowler has had ups and downs in his relatively short career. He is a surprise inclusion in the Twenty20 World Cup squad. But his lesser known elder brother, Yusuf Pathan has also been selected in the same side. The two brothers now become the 8th pair to play for India and this time with a gap of 29 years.

Yusuf is more known for his batting and off-break bowling. Firls Class and List A averages of 31 are respectable but its his Twenty20 strike rate of 195 which must have pursuaded the selectors. Similarly, his off-break bowling is not very penetrative, but a Strike Rate of 7.33 in Twenty20 games again eases his way.

The above stats are based on only 4 Twenty20 games, but India being the last test nation to play an international game, any experience is vital for this first ever world cup.

India Squad for Twenty20 World Cup 2007

The wait is over and the Indians have finally declared their 15 man squad for the Twenty20 World Cup 2007. It is no surprise that Dhoni is the new Twenty20 India captain, but the inclusion of out of favor Irfan Pathan is definitely a surprise.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Captain)
Yuvraj Singh (V. Captain)
Virender Sehwag
Dinesh Karthik
Robin Uthappa
Joginder Sharma
Gautum Ghambir
Yusuf Pathan
Piyush Chawla
Shanthakumaran Sreesanth
Irfan Pathan
Rudra Partab Singh
Rohit Sharma
Ajit Agarkar
Harbhajan Singh

Dhoni to Captain Twenty20 & ODI Sides?

They say Mahinder Singh Dhoni is a great reader of the game, has is feet grounded, is an agressive and passionate person, and thus will be the best choice to captain the Twenty20 side. This will come to fruit on August 7th when the selection committee will sit to select the squads for the Twenty20 and the ODI sides. The captain will also be announced the same day.

Yuvraj Singh seems to be the only competition. With the big three, Tendulkar, Dravid and Ganguly opting out of of the cup, Dhoni seems the certain choice.

The question does come up, if Dhoni is such a good choice for the Twenty20 team, then why not make him captain for the ODI team too. All the qualities that are required in the shorter version will also be required in the medium version. Rahul Dravid may be part of the ODI team but Dhoni can infuse that sence of urgency and passion that seems to be lacking in the current captain. It is yet to be seen how the ODIs against England shape up but again, England is not a team to select as a benchmark.

Once the squad is captained by two teams, the question above is bound to raise its curious head and the players will be thinking the same too.

How would you answer this question as a selector?

Will Twenty20 World Cup End VVS Laxman's Test Career

The BCCI is in a dilemma. Four of its stalwarts, the mainstays in their middle order are getting old. Rahul Dravid, Sauruv Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman have been the backbone of the Indian batting lineup for most of the last decade. They have built together innings of utter beauty and supremacy. The great quartet, sadly, does not have a long time left. Age is catching up and dashers like Tendulkar have had to change the nature of their game.

The dilemma is how to pass through this transitional phase without inviting a gaping hole in the batting line up. The idea is always to introduce younger talent while some older hands are their to guide him. I don't believe all four will leave at the same time but its going to happen in a quicker succession than many believe.

Out of the four, VVS Laxman is the odd one out as he is not in line for selection in the ODI or Twenty20 squads. The current form of Ganguly makes him an asset in the middle order. Rahul Dravid is the Captain and we do not want to start riots in India by talking about dropping Tendulkar!

The quartet will not be part of the Twenty20 World Cup as the three eligible players have opted out. Their ODI places intact, its a good move to let the youngsters have a field day. But will this prove the end of the line for VVS Laxman. Good performances from any one of the youngsters will bring him in contention for selection in the ODI and the Test team. One such youngster sitting in line is Yuvraj Singh. He is a tested batsman and has had to sit for Laxman.

We will have to see if the rise of a youngster in Twenty20 World Cup will mean the downfall of the famed quartet.