SWARAJYA, November 18, 1972 23

, SPORTS COMMENTARY: weak points, a knowledge that can be of inestimable value to the CHANDRASEKHAR MAY STILL BE INDIA'S India skipper. ' , " ' A compelling personality, Engi­ TRUMP CARD AGAINST, . ENGLAND -neer is. not only a" world-class SIDELINER -keeper, no' whit behind • in sureness and agi­ SUCH IS THE magic of Test Jonny Woodcock of the .London in India, and its appeal to the Times, as' the best England could lily, but is also an aggressive bats­ Indian .multitude, that one, can gather in the absence of the fiery, man. His return to India could almost hear the pulse of every it at times temperamental fast be a disappointment to more than Indian Test candidate beat quicker bowler, , and the classic one aspirant for a berth in the as the 1972-73 home Test series opening 'batsman, Geoff Boycott, middle order. But it clearly shows against England, the most chal- who' both for reasons best known the Board'stllinking on what is at lenging home series ever, approa-. to themselves expressed their stake for," India;,.in the coming ches. Winning a berth in the inability- to make the trip. It series. Nothhig 'sliortof the very best' would '. do. ,: Bht,., will C. D. Indian Test team this winter is is up to the Indian selectors to , ' . ~,' . not going to be as easy as it was pick a team good enough to match Gopinath ancl', his'. co~selectors' find even at the time the teams which the all-round strength of Tony the time and theoi>portpnities to pick the best?':: . _, .... : achieved the historical double Lewis's side and thus help Indian - --- triumph in the West Indies' and cricket, maintain its newly-gained England were picked last year. status, of a world power after it It can truly be said that never had for decades languished in the before had Indian. selecto,rs faced lower rungs of the , international a more difficult task. It is not 'cricket ladder. because of a paucity of talent, but :The Clamorgan County , because of a plethora of it, though 'Lewis, is, oddly enough, the first the paucity of pace talent. player to captain an England team has become almost chronic. The on his internatiorial debut. But Ranji Trophy and Duleep Trophy his team is packed with seasoned matches, which were listed·as trial Test', campaigners" such as games for the selection of the team wicket-keeper" Alan Knott wh?, ,for' the first Test, have only added with 36.caps, is in the, same mould to the selectors' problems. If 'a as former Kent and England player 01] two from almost every 'keepers, Les Ames and Godfrey game, like Parkar and Shivalkar of Evans, spinner , Bombay, have staked strong who has played in 33 Tests, swing claims for the India caps, some of bowler; of Surrey, the more established players have who can be' a thorn in the side of disappointed 'and would seem to, many' all ,Indian batsman, and hilVe hardly any claim to retain-, 31-year-old Mike Dennis, the Kent ing their places. But such is the captain, who· .must be considered

importance of the series to India one of the most unlucky English -' that the selectors can ill-afford to batsmen in that he has not played E. S. take risks either by experiment- in more than one Test. - .. ing with untried youngsters on the 'Perhaps none has realized Eng­ Whether or not Prasanna',regains basis of a couple of brilliant per- land's potential and its threat to the selectors' , confidellce,'''Mansur formances or by banking on ex- India's status more than the new Ali Khan Pataudi' wins: his, come­ perienced players even if they president of the Board of Control back campaign, and Parkar and 'would seem to have run out of for Cricket in India, Mr P. M. Shivalkar, Ismail 'and;, Salgaonkar , form. . Rungta, on whose advice India's earn their India 'caps;,: India's' The psychological wheel has ace wicket~keeper-batsman, Farokh trump card' will -'unsioqtedly be turned full circle since Engineer, has flown' in from the Mysore leg~break"and: googly 'Test of last year. Indian cricket ,Manchester to make himself availc expert, B: S. Chandra.sek!lar. Eng­ can now hold its head high. Eng~ able for W,~st Zone's crucial land batsmen" failed -to find a land can no longer treat an Indian Duleep Trophy match against ready answer ,to his wiles" in the visit, as a second-class tour to South Zone in Madras, and other last series in England,. which India, build up the future England team "selection", matches that precede mainly through his efforts,\wOn to for the more prestigious engage- ,'the first Test. Whatever may be make history. It:nill be~l)terest- , nents against Australia, South in store for Engineer in the Duleep ing to ·see if they will achieve on <\frica and the West Indies. It is Trophy and other matches, his Indian , 'and in,' Indian 10 surprise that the M.C.C. are place in the Test team is virtually conditions, what they failed to on, his time sending to India a team assured if only for the fact that their own 'unpredictable pitches. hat has been hailed by all know- he has first-hand, knowledge of Something dramatic is indeed ~dgeable English critics, including every England player's assets and brewing for Lewis aIfd his team ..