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For all the talk about getting the right combination and infusing young blood, India’s squad for the World Cup is just plain old fare.

I would pity the selectors though. They really had little choice, and once you saw Sehwag’s name on the sheet, you knew they had thrown in their towels. Here is a man who was dropped for consistently underperforming. He comes back against Sri Lanka. India are in a strong position. He plays with such infectious diffidence and gets out cheap. (Honestly, one felt pity for Najafgarh’s favourite son. He was more comfortable back in the dressing room than in the middle.) Next day, he is queuing up to collect his flight ticket to the Caribbean. More on Sehwag’s selection here…

If you had watched the Rajkot game, you would have seen a marked difference between Sehwag’s approach and that of Dinesh Karthik. Karthik played with so much more confidence you always knew India would coast home if he were around. Some would argue “But Sehwag was short of confidence, because he had been dropped!” Pray how does diffidence help him at all? What if he is just that in the World Cup? Sehwag’s selection is because he is good fielder and can get a few overs through easily. If he bats well, I would count that as a plus.

Rajdeep Sardesai, in his usual come-slap-me style, asked Mohinder Amarnath this evening, “Do you think Dinesh Karthik is one of India’s seven best batsmen?”, as if Karthik had been picked to fulfil Tamil Nadu’s quota in the national side. Bloody hell, put your stats on the stove, Rajdeep. Here is a young chap who’s playing with such maturity and has won a few tight games for India. In terms of form, consistency, dependability, and technique, he is currently next only to the masterly trio of Dravid, Tendulkar and Ganguly. And did you not read Chappell’s comments on Karthik? Rajdeep, don’t waste airtime like a twat.

I would have liked the selectors to have tried out VVS Laxman for the World Cup selections. But Chappell’s belief that Laxman is only a Test batsman effectively sealed it. But did not Sreesanth evoke similar comments?

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