From: karnik@hecto.cs.umn.edu (Neeran M. Karnik)
Subject: Re: A few snippets from Times Of India
Organization: University of Minnesota
Date: Sun, 11 Oct 1992 15:01:09 GMT

In <00961E60.A287C960@vms.csd.mu.edu> 9063iyerm@vms.csd.mu.edu (Murali Iyer) writes:

>I was catching up on the week-old issues of Times Of India, and read some
>interesting comments on the selection of the Indian team to SA/Zim.

	Same here!

>First of all, it is reported that Vishwanath chaired one of the least
>controversial/uncomfortable post-selection news conferences. Almost all the
>selections were accepted with little dissent, and the only questions,
>naturally, were about Kambli and Maninder. 

	This surprised me a little, since the press is usually only too eager
to jump at the selectors' throats whatever the selection may have been like.

>Coming to Kambli. Azhar was given the option of going with an extra batsman or
>an extra bowler, adn Azhar preferred to have an extra bowler. So Kambli took
>the fall. Who came in his place? Banerjee. Why? Because the selectors were not
>too impressed with Abey Kuruvilla and Venkatesh Prasad, who were also in
>contention. Salil Ankola also was considered, but Banerjee was given another
>chance after a 3 for 47 test debut. 

>Who are the selectors? Anand Shukla, Russi Jeejeebhoy, Anshuman Gaekwad and
>..... I forget. Perhaps later.

	Ravinder Chadda, I think - for North Zone. Gaekwad replaced Naren 
Tamhane, who represented West Zone and was also the chairman for four years.

>Vishwanath is said to have been very comfortable, sincere and honest in his
>views and approach. I say "Yippee!"

	One good thing about his appointment is, he definitely commands respect
from all quarters, and will therefore have less trouble. Naren Tamhane, by
comparison, was a relative unknown outside of West Zone.

>Yadav, who started as a chucker/offspinner, switched to keeping on the advice
>of Sarkar Talwar, his coach. And he has never regretted. A protege of Kapil's
>(Paaji to him and other Haryana cricketers), he is said to be soft-spoken and
>mild-mannered(Whew!). Also he looks slim and athletic. 

	Sarkar Talwar was one of the most successful bowlers in Ranjis. He must
have been in the reckoning for the Indian team sometime, unless his career 
overlapped with those of Prasanna and Venkat. Incidentally, Talwar isn't 
exactly Yadav's *coach*, more like mentor. Yadav has had no formal coaching.

>Added to the stats Neeran has already posted, the average age of the team is
>only 26 years, Kapil being the oldest. Kumble says Manoj Prabhakar was very
>competent in the Irani Finals, and faced Kumble very well. Manoj made a fifty
>and walked after scooping a catch to silly point. Kambli took five catches off
>Kumble, and not six as reported earlier. 

	Manoj Prabhakar and Bantoo Singh were the only two who played Kumble
with any degree of assurance. Bantoo in particular was said to have played a
very good innings of 69, with 10x4 and 1x6. Prabhakar also made 60+.

	Incidentally, the TOI reporter's comment on Kumble's bowling in the
first innings was something like:- ordinary but accurate. The Delhi batsmen
played for the spin which just wasn't there, in his almost medium-paced
deliveries. However, in the second innings, with a crumbling pitch, he bowled
much more threateningly.

>Raman's big century made him a surety. What else? That's all for now, folks.

>-Murali
--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  Neeran   Karnik  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dept. of Computer Science,      | Email: karnik@cs.umn.edu
University of Minnesota         |        karn0001@student.tc.umn.edu
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~