I don't think Yuvraj has the technique to claim a place in the top six of our Test team, leave alone the top five (against England in the drawn series he batted, astonishingly enough, at five) but coming in five wickets down, with (hopefully) a substantial total to build on, he could do real damage in quick time with the tail.

Dravid, always keen to play five bowlers, would have the minor bonus of half an extra bowler: Yuvraj's left arm slows would add some variety to the Indian 'attack'. This way Dravid could have Yuvraj's electric heels at point and the reassurance of Laxman's safe hands in the slips.

Gambhir's quick eighty puts him in contention should Jaffer fail in the first Test. I hope it doesn't come to that because despite his inconsistency and his maddening habit of scoring a hundred and doing nothing for the next half-a-dozen innings, Jaffer looks a Test batsman and Gambhir doesn't. Gambhir looks like a cut-rate Kambli: all flash and firm-footed flourish.

So, for the first Test: Karthik, Jaffer, Dravid, Tendulkar, Ganguly, Laxman, Dhoni, Zaheer, Sreesanth, Kumble and RP Singh. This is the team that I think will be picked: but if Dravid wants extra batting oomph, a bowling option and the team's best outfielder, he'll pick Yuvraj over Dhoni and make Karthik open and keep wickets.

Historically, Indian keepers have managed both jobs well: think of Faroukh Engineer, Budhi Kunderan, and, more recently, Nayan Mongia. It would be wonderful if Dravid went further and chose another spinner over RP Singh, and he has indicated that one spinner or two will depend on the pitch, but my guess is that for the first Test of an English tour, his instinct will be to go with three seamers.

In the end, though, we need to play to our strengths, and realistically, we have just one: batting. If the skipper plays as well as he did the last time India toured England, and the rest of them just reproduce their career averages, we should win. That isn't wishfulness, you know, just sensible, temperate hope.

don't you guys think that Dhoni is a good Medium-Pacer and Kaarthick is a good wicket-keeper. so why not add dhoni as a fifth bowler?

England always proved to be a bit better than places like Austarlia and SouthAfrica for our batsmen.the big three have a great record there and if the captain does what he did last time and the other two do what is expected of them then India will come out as winners which I think will definitely boost the credentials of the sport in the country.

Don't you think tat jaffer should make way for yuvraj and kartik and dravid should open

In my opinion,India should use Karthik as wicket keeper and play Yuvraj over Dhoni AND should play 5 bowlers.Look at the West Indies tour.The West Indies had REALLY ONLY ONE top class batsman,Chandrapaul and they did not too badly.India has 5 World Class Batsmen.

Laxman should certainly get the nod. Yuvi isnt effective in tests. anyway long time no see

I think India's selection policies have always been biased against Laxman. It's pathetic that a batsman of his calibre has to get an "endorsement" from the captain in order to be sure of his place in the team. By dropping him consistently, the selectors have succeeded in curbing his natural strokeplaying ability, and as a result he has turned into a defensive player. The Indian panel of selectors are a complete bunch of idiots with short memories. Meanwhile, the Indian team management seems to make all its decisions in a proverbial smoke-filled room with a surreptitiousness that is sure to break the confidence of a player by sending him the wrong messages. A fair and open selection policy is vital to ensure better performance in Indian cricket.

The team looks good ... at least on paper ... and this being most certainly the last English tour of the Big 5 (Sacin, Sourav, Dravid, Laxman & Kumble) - we can hope to win!

I think all India needs 2 spinners.It has been our strength.But unfortumately we prefer the seamers who cannot bowl well with the old ball.I still feel it is going to be difficult to beat England in these conditions.We may get a couple of flambyonant innings but not the series.

One of your comments about Yuvraj made me wonder whether you have played cricket at any level. Even tyro cricketers know that the number 7 batsman comes in at 5 wickets down, NOT at 6 wickets down as you have stated!

Looking at the present composition of the team,it would be better to play six batsmen as runs on board will be crucial.None of the bowlers of the team can be wholly depended upon for their bowling merit.Similarly, we can not be certain that Jaffer and Tendulker would be sure shot run scorers.I would prefer V V S Laxman as a sixth batsmen over Yuvraj.In my view V V S L is a better committed player than Yufraj.

If Freddie flintoff comes back for the series indial will lose 2-0 otherwise 1-0.
The only star for India will be Laxman that is if India realize thier mistake of what dropping him means.

You've got the team right. But for me, selection of Laxman is above Ganguly. Technique wise both Ganguly and Yuvraj fair poorly but Ganguly does have the advantage of bowling his slow seamers on english wickets which might open up the possibilities of another genuine spinner

Hi,
I would like to see Gambhir over Jaffer. Gambhir looks more positive batsmen needing to be given more opportunity to be a Test player and more promising he will be in the longer term than the tentative counter part Jaffer who is a big gamble, scores either a big hundred or nothing.Bowling department looks decent I would revisit Dhoni's position after 1st Test.

To doubt Yuvraj's technique and ability is not fair at all.He has scored runs in Australia, England, South Africa, NewZealand,West Indies. If a batsman's technique is not good enough, he will never be able to score runs in these country's pitches. I don't know what does a batsman need to do to get a place in a test side.I can't even count the number of matches that Yuvraj has won for India single handedly.He has already scored two centuries in the tests as well. He has been given too few opportunities to prove his worth.He has been only given bits and pieces of chances.A one test here and dropped,two tests there and dropped. So I believe if he is given an extended run of tests, he will show everybody whether he is a top six or a number one batsman

Indias batting looks week to me, forget England, wait till they get down under at years end. Ganguly is just not good enough to be playing for IND and batting at 5. There is no way two keepers should be playing, play either Dhonni or Karthik, but dont play both. It is also time to move past Kumble, he is too old and will just not retire gracefully (that could aplly to a few others in this team as well). The fact that India does not have the best spinner of the two teams is a sad indication of the dearth of spinners in IND. India only have a few world class players , I would rate amongst these Dravid, Tendulkar and Laxman. How Laxman was not selected for the Bang series leaves me stupefied.I have great doubts over Jaffer, Karthik, Ganguly and their ability to fend of a half decent Harmison. Yuvraj is a man of talent and should be playing instead of Ganguly

If Yuvi selected over Dhoni, who will open the innings with Jaffer, defenitely not Kaarthick. Bcoz, for example If England is Batting in the first innings, it is possible a keeper can immediately open the innings for India. I dont think Dravid will not make that mistake.

Yes, much injustice has been done to Laxman in the past and I hope at least now he will be given the chance he deserves. I think he should get in over Yuvraj. Jaffer is always capable of producing match-winning innings, though he doesn't always deliver, and for this I would back him over the flashier Gambhir. Karthik looks a sure pick and a very safe one at that. Sachin should carry on his good form of the last couple months--332 runs in only 3 tests this year (and 550-odd runs in ODIs) set him up well for the tour ahead. Dravid still has to deliver a powerful match-winning performance as captain, though he will always score runs. Ganguly--I don't know, but there can't be any harm in retaining him since he also offers a valuable bowling option in English conditions. Dhoni shouldn't be dropped, as he is very useful down the order, biffing the ball around at the end to demoralize the opposition. Kumble, Zaheer, RP Singh and Sreesanth should be able to handle the bowling. All the best to Team India!

The writer is as flawed as our Selectors in putting Jaffer ahead of Ghambir. If Ghambir scores more runs it should be Ghambhir no matter how fantastic Jaffers technique is. It should be perform or perish as it is in the Australian team.

The five-bolwer experiment, we all know, was going to be limited to an opposition like Bangladesh. Against better quality opposition, India is always going to play six specialist batsmen, plus a keeper who can bat. Which is why the experiment made such little sense. I think a four-member bowling attack should have been used against Bangladesh as well, for it is important for them to get used to the idea that between the four of them, they will have to pick 20 wickets.
Yesterday, Dravid all but confirmed VVS Laxman is going to play in the first Test at Lord's. I think it is rather unfortunate that in recent times VVS has had to compete with Yuvraj Singh for the last middle order position. Personally I think, after Tendulkar and Dravid, VVS is India's best Test batsman, and should get into the side ahead of even Sourav Ganguly. And on his day (we have seen a few of those days, particularly against his favourite opposition, Australia), he is as good as either of them.
During the last two tours, Dravid, Tendulkar and Ganguly have scored heavily against the English. This time if Laxman joins the party, the English may not find the going very easy.
I think the key to this series will be how well the Indian seamers bowl. If Zaheer Khan, Sreesanth, and Ranadeb Bose get stuck into the English batsmen, it could well be an Indian summer in England this year.

it is all fine to support laxman but i think u r a lil too harsh on yuvraj.... yuvraj despite his shortcomings is an excellent batsmen and is one for the future.... show me one batsman who is going to play tests and onedays for the next 6 years or so..... laxman is a wonderful batsman agreed... but it is only now that u can groom players for the future.... as it is it is going to be an exodus of players and quite a few new faces will be needed in abt 2 yrs time.... there has to be atleast one player who can guide the youngsters..... yuvraj singh wud fit into that role perfectly

I am sure India is going to win both the test and ODI series this time.In tests VVS should play and India should to go with 2 spinners and 2 seamers. IF Yuvraj plays, he should come in place of MS Dhoni.

Karthick,Dravid,Laxman,Sachin,Ganguly,Yuvraj,Dhoni, Kumble, RP singh, Sreesanth, Z Khan

i dont really agree with yuvraj over dhoni...personally i think karthick is a much better outfielder thn yuvraj...we wud lose him as a fielder...also yuvraj as a bowling option dosent strike me as too much on english soil...and honestly...yuvraj isnt in great batting form either...he may have hit a few runs...but boy were they lucky runs...dhoni can provide tht same oomph factor u mentioned...laxman over yuvraj is a better fight...we have enough 'slippers'...sachin david sourav...we ned a man at point(yuvraj) and one at cover(karthick)...i dont see laxmans formm lasting too long...

Mukul, I find your confidence in Karthik as an opener rather hasty (like our selectors).Leaving aside his century against Bangladesh , where he was dropped early at slip and also given not out when he edged a ball to the wicket keeper, he has had one innings agaist South Africa where he scored a creditable fifty though not without playing and missing quite a few times.I think he is the wrong choice as opener and Gambhir should open.I also think that Karthik is a superior wicketkeeper to Dhoni and with Dhoni yet to make a subtantial score in tests overseas, I think he should be dropped as wicketkeeper and karthik should keep.

Mukul, I feel that the Yuvraj-Laxman dilemma isn't as easily solved as you have indicated. Given the requirements of the team, Yuvraj has as much of a claim on the batting spot as Laxman. Not only his record in ODIs over the past couple of years, but the way in which he has scored those runs in demanding contexts, means that he has a strong call. Laxman, the more proven performer in Tests has greater weight. However, given that we are probably looking for someone who can come at number six, consolidate as well as shift gears, and bat with the tail, Yuvraj has a good case. Remember that Laxman's game isn't as silken as it used to be. Shifting the gearms might not be that easy for a player who hasn't had the kind of exposure to modern one-day cricket as Yuvraj has. If Andrew Symonds can break into the Aussie Test squad and make himself valuable, well so can Yuvraj!

Drop yuvraj and pick laxman. Yuvraj cannot play spin and in seaming conditions who knows how he will bat. Dont forget monty panesar is not ashley giles. He is as good as the seam bowlers.

I think Dravid will play it safe - which means 6 batsman, a specialist keeper, and 4 bowlers. In fact, exactly the same team mentioned by Mukul. No point getting "half" a bowler more when we have two "halves" already - Sachin and Saurav. And we are better off with Laxman for the simple reason that he is likely to handle Monty better - even granting that somehow Laxman's prowess against the ball turning away has reduced in recent times. I somehow feel Ganguly is going to come good - for all his scratchiness in the one dayers against SA.

Good analysis. As John Wright said, VVS Laxman and Mohd Kaif were always one failure away from being dropped. Wonder Why.

Freddie Flintoff isnt a God of England cricket. He hasnt done anything impressive against India when he played. India having world class players in the form of Little master, Rock, Daada and the stylish Batsman VVS are going to blow away England. Droping Dhoni and giving a slot to Yuvi would be a wise move and would add depth to the batting. Sachin, Yuvi and Daada would make the 5th bowler slot filled.

Whatever may the combination the team should play well and do their homework properly. Rest God decidies.

dropping LAXMAN is a big CRIME,if they do so Indian selectors r the biggest criminals...I think India should play with 5 bowlers,with karthik behind the stumps.batting order should be JAFFER,KARTHIK,DRAVID, TENDULKAR, LAXMAN AND SOURAV......

I was at Hove on Saturday. Kartik played very well once he got settled in. Gambhir does not have the technique to survive fierce new ball spells from the likes of Harmison and co. Jaffer should be retained even though he failed. Laxman must play at Lord's ahead of Yuvraj.

India needs to play 5 bowlers in the test series. Four bowlers definately won't get the job done for us. Drop Dhoni and play Karthik as the keeper. AS for the no. 6 spot, Laxman is a much better player than yuvraj will ever be. He is such a mediocre and inconsistant player, who's can never be relied apon. The only thing he brings apart from a truckload of cricketing immaturity is decent feilding in a team of woeful athletes

I agreee with your article, but on looking at it of the 11, 6 of them will not be available for the next tour. From a long term perspective atleast I would select Yuvraj either over Dhoni or Ganguly!

My best possible top 7 be, (based on recent form against good attacks and future promise)
Karthik,jaffer,dravid,10dulkar,Yuvraj,Laxman,Ganguly.....let me clarify first up that I am not anti ganguly, My firm believe (and this is personal) is that playing ganguly in top 6 would be a disservice to the promise of Yuvi as he had shown wnough in recent past that he has it in him called the TICKER, which makes him pretty dangerous if he gets in....ganguly is past his sell off date and in england i will pick him up but he gets to bat 7 as by then even the second new ball is taken nrmally and then he can do some damage with his big hitting, and in english conditions he can roll his arm over if needed with his little dibbly dobblies if its swinging a bit....
The only case for ganguly to bat in top 5 will be when Monty for example is playing shit loads of tricks and causing some troubles for the other batters, then Ganguly is needed to handle him.
Laxman shud stay at 6th as he can handle a sudden collapse far better then all others and stitch a good partnership in times of need with one of the other top 5,
Sreesanth, Zaheer, Kumble and Powar are the other 4 needed.....
Moreover say if injury happens to karthik, then Gambir gets a look in and Ganguly sits out with dhoni back at 7......and one thing is clear to me , Ganguly is still a surity when it comes to one dayers ;)

The problem can be solved if Laxman agrees to open for the time being (i.e. till an opening is created in the middle). Then, Yuvraj can be at No.6. Kartik, sadly, will have to bide for his time, as of now. But people like Laxman and Ganguly want to play only in the middle order, preferably No. 3, but not No. 1/2. Langer, Boon, Marsh, Sehwag etc. reinvented themselves when they took up opening. They took it up, not out of choice but to protect their place in the side.

Dhoni should be dropped according to me, Yuvraj is a much better batsmen than Dhoni, if Yuvraj is the future of Indian cricket, he needs to have a consistent place in both formats, Dhoni is to unpredictable and when the ball is talking a bit, he is not always the most confident batsmen out there. Karthik is better suited for test cricket.

I think we missed a trick or two by not picking Harbhajan singh who is a world class off spinner who is playing county cricket now and picking wicktets.Dont forget he has always bowled well with kumbl eat the other end. I dont think he is dropped for cricketing reasons.

Mr. Kesavan, your team pick for the 1st test looks bang on! Has the makings of an interesting series, let's hope for some great cricket. Considering the future of Indian Cricket, I think it is time the selector's make a few hard choices on the famed middle order. Dravid, Tendulkar, Ganguly, Laxman might be the best for the present, but we need to give some of other younger boys some valuable experience. Depending on the scoreline of the series, can the selector's be gutsy enough to rotate the middle order for the sake of the Indian Cricket's future? Worth a shot!
P.S. Dinesh Karthik is truly a breath of fresh air, an awesome team player, this guy can bat at any given situation, techinically in the mould of dravid, agile fielder, a keeper par excellence and above all a smart cricketer. The future looks surprisingly not so bad, we need to discover more potential like him. Well done selectors for the find and keeping him.

It looks Dravid may opt for Yuvraj in place of Dhoni and retain Gambhir over Jaffer.Perhaps the second match against Lions will throw open the best possible eleven for the first test.However, Dravid compliments to Laxman comes late after Laxman has scored 95 but not before when Laxman was not considered for any test match in Bangla Desh. The fact remains that the most deeserving do not get enough chances yet we carry with players who have popularity tag and have the element of bias with the selectors.

Laxman's 95 against Sussex should win him the nod? Eh what? The man doesn't do much in South Africa but one 95 against Sussex is good enough to win him selection ahead of Yuvraj!! Good god man, you deserve to be in the Indian selection panel, haha.

I think besides the captain the next batsman to be chosen should be VVS; he has generally got a raw deal from the selectors.

Drop Dhoni? That's madness! He's the only guy in the squad whose capable of taking the opposition on! And Mr Kesavan, "coming in 6 wickets down" would put Yuvraj at number 8. 4 wickets down and he would be batting at number 6. I've read a handful of your posts and it seems like you know nothing about cricket.

In B'desh laxman lost his place , even after his good performance in west Indies & S. Africa. coming at no. 5 or 6 his contribution of 71 to 80S always gave us winning results. B'coz of Bad selection politics he lost his place to ganguly, still i remember b'coz of ganguly only we kiked out of world cup,still surprised to me how he is getting place in the team. I am sure he can play good only agt ireland , B'desh, kenya. Agst S.A he was dropped at 0 by kallis & out for13,in 2nd match only 42, in 3rd on day again easy dropped by kallia at 0 & out for 18.
so my request to selection co. please don't drop laxman even if scores o at lords.

If July and August are drier than at present, this susceptibility against the moving ball may not be as crucial as is being feared. In which case Jaffer with his big innings temperament may be quite effective.The same is the case with Yuvraj who has his bowling skills to go with his undoubted fielding, big hitting and shepherding of the lower order capabilities. Dhoni despite his undoubted courage may find it difficult in England unless he gets used to playing late much in the manner of the West Indian batsmen in the ODIs. I would therefore keep him as an option for the second Test. My team

would thenbeJaffer,Kartik,Dravid,Tendulkar,Ganguly,Laxman,YuvrajZaheer Khan,Kumble,Sreesanth and R P Singh.

Recently a list of ten greatest Indian test victories was posted on Rediff. I understand that they are subjective; nevertheless there are atleast sound arguments to be made. Guess who has played an important role in the most number of those victories: V.V.S. Laxman. Even the great Gavaskar was involved in only two! Dravid has three too. 2001 Calcutta was a great one, with Laxman (in batting) spearheading and Dravid in supporting role. Adelaide (2004) was a great one too (with Dravid spearheading) and Laxman in supporting role. Now take our most recent test victory in South Africa (a place where we had never won a test). Laxman's 73 was instrumental in putting up a decent score. Now take the Mumbai test, when Aussies toured India last, the one that got over in a little over two days. Laxman top scored with a 69 in the second on an unplayable wicket. It is just amazing that this wonderful cricketer is overlooked so many times by the selectors. If anything stands for the partisanship and ineptness of the Indian selectors, the treatment of Laxman should stand out as one of the top ones. Shame on the Indian selectors for having treated this wonderful player the way they have; and shame on us, Indian cricket fans, for not airing our views and our sense of fairness, on his behalf.

Sme people want to drop kaarthick, for the only reason that dhoni is a beter keeeper than him. it is almost like being a wicket keeper is a bad thing.. if he is a beter batsmen than someone else there is no fault in playing him

I saw some comments on Ganguly's ability...I think he was top scorer in recent South africa series...I see people here forgot so easily.

It is high time that we drop Tendulkar and Ganguly. The 100s scored by Tendulkar against Bangladesh is the lousiest u could ever see. He was not able to dominate a thrid rate attack. The manner in which the Sri Lankans demolished Bangladesh it is a shame that we were not able to win with convivtion. Bring in new blood. Groom youngsters who are really technically good palyers. Not just flash in the pan stuff.

yes, as aditya said.laxman already proved against austrailia in australia in both forms of cricket. talking about latest, last january india won the first test against southafrica only because of laxman & zaheerkhan partnership.this is too bad to get captain's endorsement for him.yuvraj singh can not even stand before laxman's ability.

i think dinesh karthik should be played instead of mr.dhoni in test cricket ,and yuvraj instead of great laxman ,but i miss irfan pathan ,hope he will be certainly world no 1 baller after some month,all the best for team india

Indians play well in England & our strength is only in Batting, so it is always better to go with just 4 specialist bowlers in Zaheer, Sreeshanth,Kumble & Piyush. Sachin Saurav can support them. Jaffer stats syas he plays good only in his 5th innings so why have him in the team at all

India should think about the future - Dravid, Tendulker, Ganguly are all 34, Laxman 32. We should phase them out of the team in stages to allow our younger players like Yuvraj & Suresh Raina to gain experience before they are expected to become the senior batsmen in years to come

Start with the least sucessful batsmen of the quartet - Ganguly in terms of average and class. Drop him for Yuvraj. After the series against Pakistan and Australia, we should then look to phase out Laxman.

Tendulker & Dravid could potentially play for another 2-3 years

I think making Karthik open and keep wickets is a good idea- it prevents us having to carry two specialist wicket-keepers at the expense of a batsman and bit-bowler. Dravid, Tendulkar, Ganguly, Laxman and Yuvaraj would form a formiddable middle order. Let us not underestimate the English bowling, as Harmison, Hoggard and Panesar are all competent bowlers. As far as our bowling is concerned, I think one of the best options is left at home- Ajit Agarkar.

More or less the same team will play.I would prefer Yuvraj Singh over Mahendra singh Dhoni in the playing eleven.In the recent past Dhoni has not performed as per his potential and it's testing time for him in these seaming conditions.Another option is including Gambhir in place of Wasim Jafer.

karthik has shown the willingness to adapt to situations and brings in a breath of fresh thinking with him. I would love to see laxman bat up the order may be no.4 and sachin @5.Yuvi has age on his side, he can wait. lets enjoy the legends in vvs,dravid,sachin,sourav. I m sure you will not see them all again playing together at this level in a year's time.

Another problem with your team could be that asking Kaarthick to keep wickets in addition to opening the innings might be taking things a bit too far. Most team managements would tend to give theor 'keepers the "luxury" of not having to bat in the top-3.

i believe this should be the side: Y Singh, D Karthik, S Tendulkar, R Dravid, S Ganguly, M Dhoni, V Laxman and the 4 bowlers should be Zaheer, Kumble, Sreesanth and raneb bose. yuvaraj ahead of jaffer will not only improve the batting but will also add variety in the bowling. he, sachin and ganguly should share the 5th bowlers role. yuvaraj or laxman or dravid should open with karthik. sreesanth is a great swing bowler. in south african conditions he swung the ball a lot, in english conditions he'll be even better. raneb bose can also bowl a good outswinger and is more accurate than rp singh.

Whys there so much argument about putting laxman at 6? I'd put him at 4 or 5. Ganguly could come at 6 as he is just as attacking as Yuvraj would be. My team would be

1. Jaffer
2. Kartick
3. Dravid
4. Tendulkar
5. Laxman
6. Dravid
7. Dhoni
8. Kumble
9. Sreensanth
10.Zaheer
11.RP Singh

I'd much rather have Pathan in at 7 (drop kartick-harsh I know) put dravid to open and also have munaf in the team ahead of RP Singh. yuvraj should stay around the team as he will be one for the future. Dhoni should be droped as if we are 550/5 after in the middle of an afternoon session he could easily take it to england and have us blazing befor putting england in at the end of a day (if all goes well :o))

Jaffer, Kartik, Dravid, Tendulkar, Ganguly, Laxman, Yuvraj, Zaheer Khan, Kumble, Sreesanth and yours truly opening the bowling and coming 3 down.

Dont you think they will have the spinner by using Tendulkar and Ganguly ? Powar, while a brilliant bowler, will not give much hope for the first test espescially when much depends on how India bat more than them getting 11 wickets. Most Indian fans would take a draw without being defeatist, would you not agree ?

This Weekend I had a chance to observe Indian cricket team practice and play their practice game against Sussex at Hove. And it was interesting to say the least. Looking at team India it’s pretty much evident that Its 11 men crafting the team not other way around where a team is made of any given 11 players. It’s understandably tough to maintain the factor “Team” with so many uncertainties around. New coaches (fielding and bowling) new players and new manager, all of them novel and looking to establish themselves. Although I must admit that kind of respect and authority Robin sing had over players was really hearting to see. Indian cricket fraternity is all about numbers “the more the better cricketer you are”. But Robin seems to be an exception to this number culture. It’s a great testimony for Robin’s credentials as a coach. Again I see India’s chances of succeeding on this English tour on the mercy of individual performances. If Dravid, Teandulkar and Laxman play up to their potentials I see England struggling in the series. But the important point is “again it will be win for Dravid, Sachin and Laxman”. This kind of cricket won’t take India any where. Indian cricket will be back to square one after couple of years (ones the senior players retire). I hope that my observations are not correct and team still has the “Team Factor” in it.

I feel sad that a batsman of VVS Laxman's CLASS has to fight for a place with Ganguly and Yuvraj both of them being very poor TEST batsmen.I feel Dravid, Tendulkar and Laxman are our 3 best Bats.Karthik is a great find as an opener. Kumble will be a flop in England.His average is around 40.00 per wkt IN England. 4 pacers is the best option and Ganguly at 6.

I think india should play 6 batsman and 5 bowlers with 2 spinners and 3 quickies. leave dhoni and yuvraj. Test cricket is all about picking up wickets

I think india should play 6 batsman and 5 bowlers with 2 spinners and 3 quickies. leave dhoni and yuvraj. Test cricket is all about picking up wickets

On current record Laxman is India 's 3rd best test batsman after Sachin & Dravid.
HAD Laxman been given proper opportuinities,He would have been in the same brackets as Sachin & Gavaskar as the greatest test batsmen India ever produced.His ability to play crucial match winning innings in the most difficult of circumstances & match conditions is unquestioned.
Its just terrible selections & the insecurities of Ganguly & Dravid which led to His repeated axing from the team.
HAS anyone noticed this??? As soon as a tough overseas tour comes where the Indian batsmen are going to be facing difficult bowling attacks in adverse conditions,The skipper Dravid starts backing Laxman but when its an EASY series against Bangladesh everyone forgets about Him.
You know what that proves.. Laxman has been played in the team only when the captains have realised that IF they dont have Him in the team they would lose the series badly because this guy is a master of playing in difficult situations.They do so more to save the captaincy so dear to them than to give Laxman His due...
Otherwise He is never given a chance to build a great STATISTICAL RECORD by scoring easy runs against teams like Bangladesh & at home..
During an easy series Laxman is played at number 6 below even Ganguly who doesnt have 10% of Laxman's calibre as a test batsman.
But during a tough series He is always "promoted" up the batting order.
Shame on Indian selectors & on Ganguly & Dravid for being so harsh on an exquisite & artistic VERY VERY SPECIAL batting genius,a team man to the core & a gem of a guy...
And finally I believe India will miss Harbhajan who despite His poor ODI record in the past one year is still a much much better test spinner than Powar.

My eleven would be: Kartick, Jaffer, Dravid, Tendulkar, Laxman, Ganguly, Dhoni, Kumble, Zaheer, Sreesanth, RP Singh.
I would really like to see Ganguly out but his bowling options keep him in. Also, he has got bloody-mindedness which Yuvraj Singh still lacks. I also would prefer Dhoni out and Kartick to keep, but we have neither Agarkar nor Irfan Pathan to balance the side. It's really a pity that the only all-rounder we have is Kartick. The guy is so good at adapting, maybe we should tell him to work on his bowling?

All - this talk about technique is just b***it. We all know how effective Sehwag & before im Krish Shrikanth was for an extended period of timke. There was only hand-eye co-ordination, no technique with any of them. At the end of the day, for a batsman what matters is how often he can play the ball out of reach of the fielders. Direction in which his head, hand, legs .... point is all meaningless. By the way,following is my choice 11 -
Jaffer, Karthik, Dravid, Ganguly, Sachin, Yuvaraj, Dhoni, Powar, Kumble, Sree Santh, Zaheer.
RP Singh might be a good one-day bowler with the time pressure on batsmen, but in tests he will at best be a stock bowler. Kumble & Powar will give us the option of 2 wicket-taking bowlers capable of bowling long spells.

I think India indeed has a dilemma in choosing Dhoni over Laxman. The former is a prolific run machine who can turn the game on its head while the latter is a equisite batsman who is proven in the test arena and most probably the best chance India have of either salvaging a draw or a win in the test series. I say bring on Laxman and let him prove his mettle. He has realised his faults and is looking good and in any case you cannot go on relying on players like Dravid, Ganguly or Tendulkar!!!! I am a Pakistan supporter but would love to see India beat England!!!!!

VVS should be in the side without question. But if you think that Ganguly deserves to play ahead of Yuvraj, look around and you will see only sand because your head is in it!
This is going to be a tough tour for Dhoni who may struggle against the moving ball - absolutely no harm in playing Karthik as keeper if that happens.It may allow your beloved Ganguly to play then!

Traditionally, as the results of the last tour matches in the Lords point to, the team which manages to strike good batting form and piles up a sizeable first innings score, gets the edge. So the priority of the Indian Team should as well be 'effective bowling in the conditions'. So it will be good to have five bowlers, because the two keepers, especially lend a wonderful balance to the team. Karthik can be pushed into open the innings. Even on the last occasion, Bangar did a commendable job than a regular opening partner to Sehwag. The middle order revolves around 'Sachin,Dravid and Ganguly. I am not sure whehter Sachin and Ganguly will be 'solid and sound' this time. Laxman can ideally fit the bill. What I feel is that Laxman has a great ability to forge big partnerships. Teams which post big partnerships after 4th or 5th wickets, simply pulverise the oppositions. Aussies will generally rise from the positions like 150 or 200 for 4/5 and post a huge total. For this, Laxman is more suited than Yuvi, who is more flashy. No genuine offie. Sreesanth,Zaheer Khan,Ajit Agarkar and Kumble enough. Ganguly can be a change bowler.

Here is my team:

1. Kaarthick (I hate this numerology insanity)
2. Jaffer
3. Dravid
4. Tendulkar
5. Ganguly
6. Laxman (may be he should change his name to Laaxmann for better luck)
7. Yuvraj
8. Piyush
9. Zaheer
10. Kumble
11. Sreesanth

Perhaps, we should call our country "Indeea" or "Indiah" to bring us better fortunes!

I am not sure why Laxman has to compete with Yuvraj. Toss-up should be between Ganguly and Yuvraj. Laxman needs to be a cretainty. We all know that Ganguly does very well against teams that don't have much of a bowling attack - so Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, Kenya, Namibia would suffer... But how many hundreds (TESTs please, not one-day hundreds) does he have against SA, WI, Pak, Aus? ZERO. And barring the debut series against England, he has nothing much to speak of. Ummm... He did score a hundred against Aus in a washed out test where McGrath, Lee, Warne etc. did not play... so thats more like Agarkar's hundred in tests :)

To me, the line-up should be:

Two openers (kaarthick, jaffer)
Middle order (Dravid, Sachin, Laxman)
Number six to be Yuvraj or Ganguly
And Five bowlers.

Most talented batsman Laxmon out n chancy Yuvraj in, funny! Why are we so tolerant with unconcernred test bat Yuv while avoiding a great potential like Laxman, I wonder. I used to put my money earlier on Yuv, but long ago, that too in ODIs.

Even if Ganguli is out, Laxman should be in.

As usual,once again India is touring a top-class test country & once again we see the media go berserk over India's chances.Not to mention that almost 95% of the times,India has come back defeated & thrashed out of sight.The probability of its repeatation is very high again...I wonder if India once again comes out beaten & thrashed,eg 3-0/2-0.....
So isn't it irrelevant whether Laxman plays or Yuvraj ???(LOL) The end results are all too predictable,isn't it ???(MORE LOL)

The 'always unlucky' Laxman can never relax and be sure of his place in the team till the eleventh hour. It's time India recognizes that Laxman is on par with Tendulkar and Dravid as one of India's great Test batsmen. Yuvraj is a good player but sorry to say that he can't be picked ahead of Laxman..... Karthick keeping wickets and dropping Dhoni cant be ruled out completely if Dhoni is found wanting in the seaming conditions because his technique never looks compact.... but that said whoever performs, be it Dhoni or Karthik should get the nod.

But India should soon decide who is their wicket-keeper ..... If Karthik plays, its got to be as a 'keeper... With due respect to all his batting abilities one still cant imagine dropping Laxman!! What a player...... !

Flawed arguements in your article and very childish comments to follow. If one innings in a warm-up match qualifies Laxman over Yuvraj, Gambhir should play in place of Jaffer. Jaffer is certainly not any more consistent than Gambhir or Yuvraj. And what is it you have against Dhoni. He alwyas plays his part, so why give him an ultimatum. Let's stop predicting failures without even giving the right opportunities.

It's time Dravid starts thinking in terms of team's interests. Otherwise, we have more humiliation ahead. A victory against Bangladesh doesn't wipe out the repeated under-achievements of his teams.

It is time for Karthik to pick his role. It seems to me we are trying to somehow find a place for him in the team in stead of finding the best player for each spot. If he can't get in as a wicket-keeper, they tried him in the middle order. If he can't get in as the middle-order, they tried him as an opener. I think his best bet is to play as an opener. Maybe pick him over Jaffer for the first test and go from there. But let's make sure that is the spot he will be contending for in the future.

As many people have commented, Laxman is the one batsman in the Indian team who has been very poorly treated
by the selectors. Anybody who has played a crucial role in winning multiple tests against teams like Australia
(both in Australia & in India) and S.Africa (in S.Africa) deserves a fixed spot in the Indian Test team. He is
class personified and is the equal of Dravid and Tendulkar in tough situations. His out-fielding may not be upto
par, but he is safe in the Slips. He may not have Dravid or Tendulkar's numbers or averages, but he is a class act !

The selection for the first test is tricky. Do we have 4 bowlers who can bowl out England ? Zaheer is bowling well,
and Sreesanth has done well in S.Africa. I hope he continues to do so in England by keeping the seam as straight as
possible and let the conditions (and his bowling) do the talking rather than his mouth :-). Kumble is reliable as ever.
RP Singh as wicket taker ? I have my doubts. So we have only 3 bowlers who seem capable of taking any wickets at all.
We should really pick one more bowler (Powar ?), but the team management seems convinced that we need only 4 bowlers.

Cook, Bell and Strauss look like competent English batsmen, and Pietersen is a destroyer in the Tendulkar mould.
Can Kumble contain him and frustrate him into errors ? Although he can block Kumble and attack the other end if
they dish out loose stuff. Collingwood looks like one batsman who could drive us crazy with his ability to stick
at wicket for ever.

Harmison is probably not the force that he was in the Ashes that they won in England. I suspect that only Dravid and
Laxman really have the technique to handle him at full throttle with the bounce that he can generate. And what about
Flintoff ? Is he going to miss the entire test series ? I believe that Panesar will be a handful for Dravid and Tendulkar
- I am not sure why but they seem to always have difficulty with good left-arm bowlers inspite of being such classy players
otherwise. I believe that Ganguly and Laxman can handle him well. Can we convince Panesar to move to India :-) ?
They seem to have a few new bowlers who have come on of late against the West Indies in the tests - it may not be a true
reflection of how good they are, given that W.Indies did not have Lara and other than Chanderpaul they had nobody with
the technique to stay at the crease and grind it out. How good is Matt Prior ?

So for the final eleven, Ganguly and Yuvraj should fight for a spot in either case below, because both are left-handed
batters and both can bowl reasonably.

For a seaming wicket (6 specialist batters, 1 wk/batter, 3 seamers, 1 spinner, with Ganguly/Tendulkar making up 1 additional bowler):

1 Karthick
2 Jaffer
3 Dravid
4 Tendulkar
5 Laxman,
6 Ganguly,
7 Dhoni
8 Kumble
9 Zaheer
10 Sreesanth
11 RP Singh

For a spinner's track like the Oval (6 batters, 1 wk/batter, 2 spinners, 2 seamers, and Tendulkar/Yuvraj making up 1 additional bowler):

1 Karthick
2 Jaffer
3 Dravid
4 Tendulkar
5 Laxman
6 Yuvraj
7 Dhoni
8 Powar
9 Kumble
10 Zaheer
11 Sreesanth

I have been thinking the same lately about dhoni. I agree that he should be dropped. Since the world cup dhoni has failed to impress. Being from Chennai I also feel proud that Karthik has done so well. When he was dropped following the 2005 Series vs Pakistan, I felt he was given a raw deal. The selectors needed to give Karthik a chance at least in Tests because he seemed best suited to Playing Test cricket at the time. SInce the world cup Karthik has shown us that he can play in both Tests and One Dayers. The selectors need to stand by a player for more matches than they mornally do. That is the only way we will have a consistent team.

Yuvraj seems to be an adam Gilchrist kind of player. He may not be the smash from ball one player but once he gets set, Yuvraj goes nuts. I think #7 will be ideal for him if India have a decent total on the board. We have seen aussie scores go up by 150-175 runs because of the Gilly factor in the end. One thing we know is that Yuvraj will perform with the ball and he is a great asset in the field.

Jaffer should be given a chance ahead of Gambhir for th 1st test. This again is something the selectors need to do. It isnt about Jaffer having a guaranteed place regardless of form like say Sachin or in the past Sehwag. Jaffer needs a couple of more matches to establish himself. Gambhir is on the rise but I dont think he is ready technically to play test cricket. Test cricket needs a lot more batting skills and at the moment Jaffer has it. He just needs to be more patient.

I think Harbhajan being dropped may have nothing to do with his skills and ability. But Ganguly wasnt dorpped because of his form. His form did dip, but his comments and attitude came before that and bad form only made it easier for the board. Now Harbhajan is going through the same thing. Kumble is a much better Test spinner for India in all conditions. Kumble is alos way more mature than Bhajji. He lets the ball do the talking instead of his mouth and Bhajji really should learn from Kumble if he wants to get his place back and stay on once Kumble retires.

I can see a few HUGE negatives vs loads of positives if Dhoni is dropped from the Test team. Everyone has seen the video of Dhoni's sixes vs the WIndies. That though was the last I remember of Dhoni doing a Gilly. Drop Dhoni and maybe he will be able to concentrate on his ODI batting and also improve his technique. And the Board really needs to stop dropping people the moment they get settled.

I think that Laxman should be played in england as he has always been a class player and he hasnt lost that touch.He has always been a victim of the lobbyism that persists in Indian cricket and that has affected his career. What Yuvraj does at point, Lasman is as important in the slip region as we do not have enough of good slip fielders in our team.Slip is the most important fielding place in test crictket. I dont think that Dhoni should be dropped because with Tenduldar and Saurav past their prime, he is the only one to take the attact to the opposition camp. Also Ganguly can be used as the fifth bowler and he has done in seaming conditions earlier also.

Let's play our six best batsmen, regardless their position. So they would be: Dravid, Tendulkar, Ganguly, Laxman, Yuvraj and Karthik. Doesn't really matter who opens because in England the ball swings always. Let Dhoni come at 7. If India really wants to push for 5 bowlers, drop Dhoni.

I agree with most of CR's comments, especially that Panesar is likely to be a handful for Tendulkar. It really is a surprise that Tendulkar has struggled against decent spinners - almost always. I'd wager Dravid getting the better of Monty however. At the same time I think Laxman is our best player of spin and in recent series Monty has shown that he is England's strike bowler. In not picking Laxman to counter his threat we would be missing a trick. I also believe we should definitely play Yuvraj, given the form he is in. In the past Yuvraj has shown he is a confidence player and when in form he can carry that form into match after match and also help win games for India. Given all of the above I would say drop Dhoni and go with Jaffer, Karthik, Dravid, Tendulkar, Ganguly, Laxman, Yuvraj, Kumble, Sreesanth, Zaheer and Ranadeb Bose (for his ability to be a 'swinger' and not a hit-the-deck bowler like RP is). By the way the only reason I would pick Ganguly over Dhoni is because of his ability to bowl in seaming conditions. Let's see what the Indian team management come up with! And yeah, they would do well in offering Monty the world if he's willing to make the switch to India - he might be the best left-arm spinner after Bedi.

We should stop worrying about doing "Justice" to people. We need to be cut throat and choose the best 11 for each match. Each player should understand that he is being picked or dropped based on the needs of the team rather than for settling on unsettling them.

VVS Laxman, who is class, technique, and tough temperment personified in cricketing world, has had a raw deal ever since Dravid took reins as a captain. Why doesn't Dravid recognize the talent of Laxman and give him a more secure berth in the side. Also, thanks to selectors such as Vengsarkar, who always sidelined Laxman with the pretext of `fitness'. Laxman is rarely given opportunities against lesser teams such as Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, Kenya, etc against whom Tendulkar, Ganguly, Dravid pile up runs to consolidate their positions. To even consider Laxman with the less sophisticated players such as Yuvraj Singh, Ganguly, Jaffer, and Karthik for a place in the team is unthinkable.

India deserve to loose big time if it put politics and cronyism ahead of talent.

I don't know why people are hell-bent on wasting so much bandwidth on a non-issue. It's not like India has many options in all the spots of the batting order. Six batsmen + 1 wicketkeeper/batsman are necessary. Six of them are obvious. The merits of having Dhoni can be debated, but if production is the parameter then I might as well have Gambhir come in into the lower middle order. The primary reason being that the first test match of any series is the most important match and it is a good idea to have as much insurance as possible. Heck, our bowlers might stink but nothing gets the collective juices of us Indians going as runs on the board.

Why Jaffer got repetedly selected for Indian team i dono. He din do any thing great to the team. and also his fielding is very poor. Gambhir is better than Jaffer in all parts. Also Dhoni can be selected for the Oneday side. Since Kaarthick is doing good, no need of dhoni i say.. My team will be,
1.Dinesh Karthick
2.Gambhir
3.VVS Laksman
4.Sachin Tendulkar
5.Dravid
6.Ganguly
7.Yuvraj Singh
8.Anil Kumble
9.Zaheer Khan
10.Sreesanth
11.RP Singh
If England is Batting first and batting for more than 3 to 4 sessions. Let Ganguly to open the Innings. He is opening Batsman only no?? Ask Dinesh Karthik to come in 3 or in middle order position. This is the best squad.. Gangulay can seam a bit. Yuvraj also a useful bowler.. Obviously we can hav 4 seam 2 spin attack..

Just curious.. What is the official word on the spelling of Dinesh Karthik's name?

I think India will only go in with 4 bowlers and use Tendulkar, Ganguly and Yuvraj (if he plays) as a floating fifth option.

Look at the Indian bowling today against Sussex. The group of Shreesanth, RP Singh, Bose, Kumble and Yuvraj could not bowl them out. How do you expect them to bowl out England twice in a match(with the addition of Zaheer)? So, going with 4 specialist bowlers is not going to win matches. They need 5 bowlers. Dhoni can be dropped to add a the bowler that is needed.

My team would be: Jaffer, Karthick, Dravid, Tendulkar, Laxman, Ganguly, Zaheer Khan, RP Singh, Shreesanth, Kumble, Bose.

Some would argue that the tail is long - but, if the top 6 batsmen do their job, why worry about the tail? Bose is talented and should be nurtured/mentored for the future.

It was funny reading Srikanth Ramachandran's comment on Sachin's ability against decent spinners..well..where would he rate Warne and Murali (for all Murali can say, Sachin has played him pretty decently)
Yes..Sachin has been guilty of falling to new comer spinners - He fell to Monty, the SA spinner..etc..I think it is over confidence that cost him rather than inability..Also, when he gets into a defensive mindset, he becomes vulnerable at times..But, looking at his revivalistic tendencies, I am pretty sure, Monty is going to find the going tough and rough...
Dhoni is not a test batsmen and if Kaarthik can keep well, get the best out of him..opening and keeping no big deal - might help his concentration.

The big wigs are not going to last forever and no one below 30 is an automatic selection in batting. But they never will unless groomed. I would rather the team rotate the bastmen for the matches choosing among the golden oldies and not so youngsters dropping 1 each for every match.

Rotate with 2 of 3 every match:
old: Sachin, Rahul and Laxman
young: Yuvraj, Jaffer, Gambhir

Rotate with 3/4:
all rounders: Saurav, Powar, Dhoni & Karthik

Bose will not get to play, too bad but have seen little of him to warrant a place and he is not that young to be groomed.

I absolutely agree with Amandeep singh's comments and commend him for supporting Laxman. Laxman has always been a great strength to the Indian side overseas.
Laxman is a match winner and has always given his more than 100% at crucial times, be it test cricket or one dayers. How many times we saw Laxman batting with the tail end to save a test match, when we compare this with a Sachin or Ganguly they come a cropper.
Laxman's career is being spoilt by the Indian selection politics and he is loosing the precious time of his life outside the field.

It is high time the board and all cricket lovers support Laxman in getting his due, give his worth and recognise him as a true legend.

What India team lacks now is the fire power at the top of the order,largely due to Sehwag's absence. There is no doubt that the team misses his service. Both Jaffer and Karthik have a very low strike rate. You don't need both players to hold the side, at least one should be aggressive.

Look at the Aussies, they are able to score big only because they are aggressive. I think Yuvraj should be given the opportunity simply because he is one of the few established batsmen in the team. Giving him more chances at the test level is significant for India's future. And certainly there is no space for two spinners, 3 pace men is mandatory to win a test match in England.Dhoni must play in the test matches because he is a match winner. My team is:
Ganguly,Dravid,Laxman,Tendulkar,Yuvraj,Dhoni,
Khan,Kumble,Bose,Sreesanth,RP Singh.

jaffer should be out. scroing centuries against banfladesh shouldn't count. gambhir has scores runs far more consistently than him. i can't understand how people like the author consider them to be experts.

Jaffer,Gambhir,Dravid,Sachin,Laxman,Ganguly,Karthik,Zaheer,Kumble,Sreesanth,Singh

Bengal tiger should be there at one dayer's also because he has an better batting average than sachin and also he is an useful bowler in critical stages.

I dont think that india should be playin dhoni as a wicketkeeper any more because looks like that he is takin his place for granted doin noyhin.Karthik should have a try at that position

Since when batting became India's Problem, I think you guys should concentrate more on your bowling
it lacks penetration,even sussex batsmen were able to sustain the Indian bowling attack,India's future is with Yuvraj and in my opinion he should play the tests.

Mukul,

You must be joking when you say that India should win by playing to it's strength, batting.

Who's going to take the wickets???????
Priorities in India is all upside down.

It's the bowlers that win matches 90% of the time. If 5 superstar pampered batsmen can't handle the opposition bowling, sixth one isn't going to make a difference.

India needs bowling superstars. ICC makes so much money that they could use it correctly to produce world beating bowlers. If bowlers make more money, lot of young people would want to become bowlers. Ask any yougster in India today, majority want only to emulate Tendulkars & Dravids.

Otherwise, India can forget becoming the best cricket team.

DOES GANGULY OR YUVI PREFER PLACE OVER LAXMAN.CAN THEY FACE THE SWING AND SEAM OF FREDDIE AND COMPANY.I BET THAT THEY R GOING TO WAG THEIR BAT TOWARDS FIRST SLIP OR THE KEEPER.
I THONK MUMBAI BASED STUPID POLITICS ARE KEEPING PLAYERS LIKE GHAMBHIR OUT AND JAFFER IN.JAFFER COULDN'T PUT HIS BAT TO BALL AGAINST A 3RD CLASS TEAM LIKE SUSSEX. ANEW PLAYER LIKE BADRINATH SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN THESE CONDITIONS.
GOD HELP OUR SO CALLED PACE BOWLERS WHO STRUGGLE BOWL A 140KMPH OVER AT A STRAIGHT.
ONLY VVS,DRAVID AND THE GENIUS LITTLEMASTER CAN PUT ENGLISH TO DUST,WHICH OVERCAME THE MIGHT OF AUSSIES.

We should have included this guy who had a batting average of 42 in our last England tour, and also a century at Lords. Oh, he bowls a bit as well and was excellent in the ODIs in Ireland. Anyone for Ajit Agarkar? To me, a much better bet than Bose, Ishant Sharma, et al.

Assume England bat first and bat long. How do we expect Karthik to keep wickets for 1.5 days and then come out to open?

@Surender Kumar: Thank you for your support..

@Devdatta: I agree with you.Ajit Agarkar is definitely a better bet than Bose,Ishant Sharma etc. especially in the English seaming conditions.

we will still back warne if he gets laxman 6times in the threematch series)and doesn"t get any otherwickets inthe series(aussies in india 2003) -adamgilchrist

such is the fear andrespect the aussies have towards VVS LAXMAN.UNFORTUNATLEY OUR STUPID SELECTORS LIKE VENGSARKAR WHO RARLEY CHASED THE BALL IN HIS CRICKETING DAYS,SAYS THAT LAXMAN ISNOT FIT TO BE IN TEAM.AS IF GANGULY IS SO,BECAUSE HE HAS THE STANDARDS OF THE BENGAL COMMUNIST CRICKETING STANDARDS.

I BET ANY INDIAN SELECTOR OR COMMUNIST LEADER BACKING GANGULY SHOW A MATCH WINNING CONTRIBUTION IN ATESTMATCH IN AN PRESSURE SITUATION a'la laxmans 281,148,69 versus australia.
doesnt laxman deserve aplace?

My guess is that India will comfortably lose, unless some bowlers find the form of their lives.
England are good at home. Secondly, England persevere more (and are much more patient) in the longer form of the game.
Yuvraj shouldn't play (his technique is not good enough to make an impact on the seaming pitches). Dhoni shouldn't play either. What I can't understand is that if Khartik does the keepering, why doesn't India simply play Sehwag at number 6 or 7 instead of either Yuvraj or Dhoni (Laxman should definitely play). It is right that he doesn't have a better technique than either Dhoni or Youvraj, but nevertheless he has mantained a good average, and more importantly, can play a 'longer' innings down the order (Suppose the top 4 get out quick, which I believe WILL happen). His spin could be useful as well.

If Indians can reverse the older ball, and remain patient and consistent even if things aren't going well, then they have a chance.
But don't raise your expectations too much.

1. Virendra Shewag
2. Yuvraj Singh
3. Rahul Dravid
4. Sachin Tendulkar
5. Sourav Ganguly
6. VVS Laxman
7. Dhoni
8. Irfan Pathan
9. Anil Kumble
10. Zaheer Khan
11. Sreesanth

Why do people think that we should choose between Laxman and Yuvi, what did Ganguly do to have a place in the side.. In S.A every innigs he played was edgy not at all comfortable with the bouncer and stuff like that.. if you say he has a better record in England in the past and then why don't we have Sehwag in the team based on his test averages... what did he do wrong.. I don't see the selectors have an open selection process.. (Is it gonna change any time in the near future).
I don't care if India wins or looses, I want to see the desire (to win) in the team and in their body language.. they should get some inspiration from Chanderpaul...
Lets wish'em all the good luck in the world...

I think the Indian team selectors have their minds clouded. While the entire balance of the team needs to be kept in mind, the selection needs to be done on a player vs player basis. I think the basic problem here is in trying to play two wicket keepers. The management has to take a decision, who is better- dhoni or kartik and then play one of them- in my opinion, Dhoni is the better player. And if someone feels Kartik merits his place as a batsman, then compare, Kartik vs Laxman and Kartik vs Yuvraj. Its easy to see that both Laxman and Yuvraj deserve to be in the team on the basis of this comparison. Kartik may be the player for the future. Till then, till his time comes let him be in the reserves.

its a real pity to watch a batsman of vvs laxman caliber playing defensively as he has been doing for the last one year and half.Damian martyn who was very much in he mold of vvs laxmans class maintained his attacking instincts through out his career but laxman failed to do so only because of lack of proper assurance from senior players, (DRAVID inparticularwho succumbed to political pressure of keeping the exhausted" saurav ganguly in team)and selectors.i question ganguly supporters .......how many match winning test innings or match saving test innings did ganguly play..his innings at brisbane match saving one and his innings in kandy match winning one(99*)
if one has to name laxmans match wiining and saving innings here comes a lot...most of his hundreds and fifties comes under that category.coming to fifties a superb fifty against kiwis at mohali 2003 where he and akash chopra saved India after kiwis enforced follow on....any doubts.Come on INDIA start recognizing talent. its not a case of ganguly or laxman or yuvraj issue.its about learning a culture where one should give importance to a fact that a player should be backed up and should be allowed to play the game to satisfy his natural instincts and at same time maintaining the best interests of the game.

Inida should play Laxman in the top six and Dhoni should be replaced by karthik!

My take: Jaffar, Gambhir, Karthik, Dravid, Tendulkar,Ganguly,Yuvraj,Zaheer, Kumble, Powar, Sreesanth

ok i am telling first dream team for team india.some player are outside team presently,for one day cricket,robin uthappa,saurav ganguly,sachin tendulkar,rahul dravid,yuvraj singh,ms dhoni,irfan pathan,ajit agarkar,zaheer khan,harbhajan singh,munaf patel and for test wasim jaffer,rahul dravid,sachin tendulkar,vvs laxman,saurav ganguly,yuvraj singh,dinesh karthik,anil kumble,zaheer khan,shreesanth,rp singh for first test against england.any way me and whole indian fan want irfan pathan to come back in banana swing with 140km/hr fast then india do not need no 7 batsman and india can play with 5 batsman ,5 baller and 1 wicket keeper.then only india can roll in cricket..........................

I will pick laxman over yuvraj and even over Saurav.

why indian selector dont like ajit agarkar i am surprised ,i think he is one baller left in indian team now who can swing the ball ,other baller has no potential to swing the ball and they dont have speed too where agarkar has pace of 145km/hr,what is the problem with selector ,and i dont think jaffer is classic batsman ,he will be flop star in this england tour ,hope swinging star irfan pathan will come soon in indian team with his speed of 140 km/hr all the best to my personal favourite irfan khan pathan .

my comments for the india team is play with 4 boller like zaheer,shreeshant,kumble,rp sing then batsman jaffer,gambhir,sachin,sourav,rahul,dhoni and yubi thats enough for england team

There is a man not in the tour party who has more reason that Laxman or Yuvraj to feel hard done by the selectors. If you want someone who can score quick runs down the order but still play primarily as a bowler suited to English conditions, then that man is Irfan Pathan. Whether you play him as the fifth bowler or drop one of the other quicks to play Dhoni probably depends more on the pitch than anything else - play four bowlers at Lords but five at the Oval, and check the weather at Trent Bridge beforehand.

Well accordin to me.. INdia should definitely drop Dhoni.. I'm not sayin dis coz he failed against sussex.. But also coz he doesn't look like a test player to me.. Now I'm not sayin dis coz of his flash battin.. In ODIs.. he has won a lot of games for us.. No doubt.. But in tests. I dun remember any decent innings from him.. Except dat 140 odd against pakistan on a flat,dead pitch.. Kaarthik definietely keeps better dan dhoni.. Also he has improved his battin.. SO for me.. Dhoni should be dropped.. And den yuvraj can cum in to play... So for me.. India should go wid dis team

1-Wasim Jaffer
2-Dinesh Karthik
3-Rahul Dravid
4-Sachin Tendulkar
5-VVS Laxman
6-Saurav Ganguly
7-Yuvraj Singh
8-Anil Kumble
9-Zaheer Khan
10-S.Sreesanth
11-Rp Singh/Ranadeep Bose..

To debate Yuvraj Singh's place in the side with arguments pertaining to consistency etc. is to lose the point. Anyone who would remember seeing Yuvi's first O