In the Hindu, S Dinakar asks experts how one would counter a mystery spinner.

Former Mumbai cricketer and noted coach Vasu Paranjpe is of the opinion that going forward early and playing the ball late could be an answer. Here the batsman’s trigger movement takes him five to six inches forward as the bowler is about to deliver. The head — still and steady — and shoulder move forward. The elbow comes back towards the body.

In the Sportstar, WV Raman writes that selection will remain subjective, and as such there will be different interpretations when a player is either selected or dropped. But what causes rancour is when selectors adopt a policy of different yardsticks for different players.

Players such as Manoj Tiwary and Rohit Sharma were selected in a hurry based on their scores in domestic cricket, but Badrinath was stonewalled for almost three years. I am not suggesting that Tiwary and Sharma are not good enough, but it was incomprehensible as to why Badrinath had to wait for such a long time to get into the Indian team. My stance would have been the same even if the player at the receiving end happened to be from any other part of the country. But for this serendipitous opportunity, Badrinath was in danger of losing out totally as he is a bit longer in the tooth than his competitors for a middle-order slot.