Selection was and 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.
It is a diktat of fate that some people have to work harder and wait longer than the others to gain just rewards for their labour. Subramaniam Badrinath will agree with this observation whole-heartedly as he knows how much he had to toil to get a break in international cricket.
For the last two years, Badrinath had been persevering and waiting patiently for a call-up to the national team, but somehow it never came. Even when the Indian team for the one-day series in Sri Lanka was announced he was ignored and that proved too much for the patient man to bear. His statement, “Give me a chance at least to fail”, reflected his state of mind and also gave a clear indication of how he felt about being the bridesmaid in the last couple of seasons. But providence played a decisive part here, as Tendulkar was ruled out due to injury and the selectors had no other option but include Badrinath in the side as a replacement for the little master.
Selection was and 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.
THE tenacious customer that he is, Badrinath displayed his characteristic grit on his debut to help India snatch victory from the jaws of defeat in the second ODI in Dambulla. He made a strong statement with the bat to emphasise that he can back up his words with deeds.
The resolve displayed by Badrinath is proof that players who go through the grind in domestic cricket for a few years can handle the pressures of international cricket.
Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni now has another option he can feel confident about, but it remains to be seen who will be shown the door once Tendulkar is fit to return to the Indian team. As far as Badrinath is concerned he needs to keep his form going.
The fact that he came good in the Dambulla ODI will give Badrinath immense confidence. What will be critical, though, is the way in which the team management handles him from now on. The only advantage that Badrinath perhaps has is that he has played along with Dhoni in the IPL and the skipper will be aware of what the Tamil Nadu batsman is capable of. Besides, the manner in which he played the Sri Lankan spin duo of Muralitharan and Mendis has inspired confidence. He was precise in his footwork and he also seemed to pick Mendis better than the acclaimed batsmen did in the Test series. However, one swallow does not make a summer and Badrinath will be aware of that as well.
For one who had to wait long for a call-up to the national side, this is just the beginning and Badrinath will be playing every game as though his life depends on it. The commitment he showed on the field during the Dambulla ODI wasn’t surprising to those who had seen him over the years. The important thing now for Badrinath is to ensure that he does not put pressure on himself and deprive himself of the enjoyment he can derive from the game.
The Tamil Nadu skipper has the qualities to succeed in both forms of the game and it is imperative that the selectors give him a string of chances. It is a known fact within the fraternity that Badrinath is a natural duration game player who has adapted well to the one-day format.
With the failure of the top-order batsmen in the Test series against Sri Lanka, there is probably an outside chance that a vacancy will arise in the Indian team. If and when the selectors decide to bring in new faces to the Test side, Badrinath should be an automatic choice as his temperament and the ability to build an innings are his strengths. He should have probably been drafted into the Test team a year ago but it is better late than never. One hopes that the new selection committee will get its act right as it has the task of looking at the future.
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