 Strange choices
 Sourav Ganguly’s triumphant return to the Indian side and his subsequent holiday from Ranji Trophy cricket do not bode well for Indian cricket. The disappointing episode suggests that the new administration is as helpless against politics as the previous one revelled in it.
And the choice of Raj Singh Dungarpur as the manager for the Pakistan tour only confirms the view that Indian cricket is still dominated by partisan configurations in the BCCI. Being the manager of a cricket team is more than a public relations exercise; it demands a high level of energy and considerable multitasking expertise.
 Dungarpur, for all his knowledge of cricket and the respect he may command as a former BCCI president, is not a young man. He will need an assistant to do the running around and dirty jobs of cricket team management, while he makes soothing noises to the hosts and the international media. And ‘Rajbhai’ does have a tendency to put his foot in his mouth every now and then, especially when it comes to the merits and demerits of a certain Mr Sourav Ganguly, mainly because of the Bengal Tiger’s unsavoury role in the recent controversies. Knowing the media, they will surely do their best to ferret out as much fodder for their spiced up behind the scenes stories as they can get out of the coach and manager, and with both Greg Chappell and Dungarpur willing to shoot of the hip at the drop of a hat, we are in for a torrid period of entertainment — a situation not necessarily in the best interests of Indian cricket.
 Of the other two players to make a comeback, it was a matter of when, not if, in the case of Zaheer Khan, given his proven ability and recent good form, but the recall of Parthiv Patel was a bit of a shocker. Though he has fought hard in domestic cricket and scored a few runs, his keeping continues to languish. Dinesh Karthik is distinctly unlucky to miss out. In fact, he should have been first choice wicket keeper ahead of M S Dhoni, yet to prove himself in Test cricket on a consistent basis.
Unfortunately, his splendid rearguard action while compiling a defiant 134 against Mumbai for Tamil Nadu has come a trifle late. If he had scored consistently in the earlier matches of the season, the selectors would have found it difficult to defend their choice of Patel in preference to the Tamil Nadu wicket keeper. A gross injustice is being meted out to Karthik.
V Ramnarayan
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