Will ’substitute’ Raina get a WC game?

Agencies

New Delhi, 16 March 2011: After the Indian cricket team snatched defeat from the jaws of victory on Saturday, the fans and the media have focussed on the selection of Ashish Nehra to bowl the final over. But it wasn’t the last over where we lost the game, we lost the plot much earlier - while we were batting. And the lights of scrutiny have, therefore, fallen on other corners too, one of them being the exclusion of the charismatic batsman Suresh Raina.

 

The southpaw, not so long ago, was one of the most dependable players in the Indian cricket team but has now been reduced to a mere squatter in the Indian dressing room. Although, almost in every match, he is brought in as a substitute fielder, taking the field as a regular player has remained a distant dream for the young leftie.

 

This curious case of the player’s non-inclusion, almost automatically, brings in comparison with another Indian player, Sunil Valson, a 1983 World cup winning team member. Valson is a featured face in many television shows, a celebrated guest in many cricketing events and is considered to have able shoulders sitting on which the game’s connoisseurs take their stroll down the memory lane.

 

 

All accolades accumulated and this position earned is not for nothing. After all, how many of the cricketing demi-gods of India can claim to have laid their hands on the coveted trophy of pride.

 

Ironically, Valson’s is one such record that even Sachin Tendulkar would envy. No matter how many centuries Sachin has scored or how many runs he has gathered, the World cup winners’ tag still eludes the cricketing genius.

 

But reality is harsher than what seems on the surface and somewhere deep beneath even Valson would agree. The cup winner had never had his opportunity to don the Indian colors, neither during the dream campaign of 1983 nor before or after that.

 

The saying goes: a true warrior lives by his armour, prefers dying in the battlefield and loves being remembered as a martyr. For a cricketer too, no feeling is better than taking the field for your team in a world cup match.

 

If Valson’s case is anything to go by then it certainly is a bad omen for Raina whose Cup dream now hangs in limbo.

 

However, different people have different views on Raina’s hibernation. Some say, Virat Kohli’s rise as an able competitor was one of the reasons for Raina’s ouster. Others cry over selection hues and curse the selectors for ignoring the dashing batsman.

 

But the fact remains that the Indian batting order is a concrete wall and Raina’s rays of hope to perforate through will have to discover that neglected hole.

 

While Yuvraj Singh’s come-back to form and his improved bowling skills put forward strong resistance, Yusuf Pathan’s inability to live up to his fame as the ruthless butcher shows the only route or at least a mirage.

 

Pathan, who was selected mainly as an all-rounder, has delivered a rather lackluster performance. Like a flickering bulb his batting has been devoid of glow and his off-spinners have got his team just one wicket in the 28 overs he has bowled so far.

 

Then again, consistency was never the Baroda Bomber’s forte and if the team management decides to rest on hopes of serendipity then we might have another Valson story to tell.

 

The only difference between Sunil Valson and Suresh Raina is that the latter is a proven performer and has age on his side. Raina’s career stats speak volumes about his capability. With 2369 runs from 111 matches under his belt and several match-winning performances, the batsman is too precious to be left out in the cold.