Mongia's selection - a case of short-term pragmatism

The selection of Dinesh Mongia, who last played for India in April 2005 (which feels like another era already) for the Sri Lanka tri-series has raised plenty of questions. Why has a tried-and-discarded player, who will turn 30 during the World Cup been picked when the emphasis has been on building on the future? And if it is indeed a short-term selection with World Cup in mind, why not recall Sourav Ganguly, who has a far better record in one-day cricket? Or, if this a selection based on form in county cricket, what about Zaheer Khan, who has been on fire for Worcestershire? The worst of all of course is: has the Punjab Cricket Association flexed its muscle and repatriated one of its own?

The best way to look at Mongia's selection is perhaps to view it as short-term pragmatism. Mongia is the form player at the moment, making runs and taking wickets for Leicestershire in county cricket, and while some might find it a bit incredulous, he has been picked as much for his left-arm spin bowling, which is expected to be handy in the slow and low pitches in Sri Lanka, and indeed in the World Cup in the West Indies, as his batting. It wasn't the pace and bounce that undid India in the one-dayers in the West Indies: very few Indian batsmen managed to come to terms with the nagging, flat offspinners from Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels.

In Mongia, the Indian team is looking for the spin-bowling equivalent of Irfan Pathan, a player who can be used in a floating position as a batsman and contribute significantly with the ball.

If the selection of Mongia should set off alarm bells for anyone, it is Ramesh Powar. Although he has done well with the ball, there have been occasions when his batting , ­and he's a handy hitter at the domestic level, ­has let Powar down. Further, there is a belief that he is a touch too slow through the air, and batsmen could take to him in conditions like Sri Lanka, or even the West Indies. No such concerns with Mongia whose fastish, flat left-arm spin, is if anything surprisingly quick, so much so that the odd question has been asked of his action.

Another player whose place in the side Mongia could take, if he is to make the final XI, is Suresh Raina. But Raina is very much up there as a long-term prospect, and considered to be a better batsman that Mongia, heroics in English domestic cricket notwithstanding. So, for Mongia to play, as a No. 6 or 7 batsman who will bowl a few overs, the team could bench Raina. The other option, of course, is to play only two medium-pacers, but that seems unlikely.

Another question that comes up is the selection of as many as five medium-pacers for a short trip to Sri Lanka. The inexperience of the medium-pacers, barring Ajit Agarkar, means that the team will play three seamers. Pathan will make the cut for the package that he brings to play, and the toss-up for the third spot will be between Munaf Patel and Sreesanth. With three pacers picked, and Harbhajan Singh firmly back in the seat as the No.1 spinner for the shorter version of the game, the bowling line-up ends.

It's highly improbable that India will play five specialist bowlers in Sri Lanka, or indeed in the World Cup next year, and unless there are fitness problems Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif pick themselves as the top five batsmen, with Mahendra Dhoni to follow. That makes it three seamers, one spinner, five batsmen and a wicketkeeper down, leaving place for one more.

It is this spot that the team has filled in different ways, and there are now two possible approaches. The first is to play the extra batsman - and Raina has been that batsman - ­and get as much as possible out of Sehwag, Yuvraj and Tendulkar with the ball. The fact that Tendulkar is just coming back from an injury means that the team does not know how much of a bowling workload they can place on him, and there is the slimmest chance that he may not recover one hundred percent, which will leave him to play as a pure batsman. This fact also has prompted the team to give Mongia another chance.

The second approach is to play the extra bowler, hoping he can do enough with the bat, like Pathan, but the team has not found this animal yet. To try Mongia out now, with some time left for the World Cup, need not necessarily be viewed as a negative step, or a regressive one. Robin Uthappa may count himself unlucky for missing out, but he will do well to remember that his stay in the West Indies lasted all of three balls, and with Sehwag, Tendulkar and Dravid available to open the innings, there's really no need for another opener.

The funny part of all this, if you can entertain a sense of humour, is that the team may just have enough time to get a glimpse of what Mongia has to offer, but when Anil Kumble returns, and that seems a certainty for the Champions Trophy, then there will be no room for either Powar or Mongia.