Not the one *you* would pick, but the one you think the selectors will.
IMO, Kohli has played himself into a spot, so India's top 7 are:
Tendulkar, Sehwag, Gambhir, Yuvraj, Raina, Kohli, Dhoni
On the bowling side, Munaf is surely in (talk about "Carpe Diem)
Zaheer, Harbhajan, Munaf are locks so that makes 10, and surely Yusuf Pathan is the allrounder.
I believe Praveen Kumar is almost surely in, as he was held back to prevent further injury.
That leaves 4 people -- one more pacer, one more spinner, one reserve batsman and one reserve keeper --to fit into 3 slots. What is your guess for the chosen XV??
Mine is
Dhoni, Tendulkar, Sehwag, Gambhir, Yuvraj, Raina, Kohli, Pathan, Zaheer, Harbhajan, Munaf,
PLUS
Nehra, Ashwin, Rohit Sharma
(Yes Nehra makes it based on his excellent performance in India. Too bad Karthik is out of the picture here).
Bharat
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Cricket books: "Wickets in the East" and "Spin and other Turns" Guha
As India wins a tight ODI against RSA, that one run victory turning abject despair in the pundits to rampant optimism, here are some of the cricket books I treasure. All have pride of place in my library, and are read and re-read several times over the last few years. I will start with the category, I will call "
Just plain fun
"Wickets in the East" and "Spin and other Turns" Guha
These two have been combined and re-released as "The States of Indian Cricket"
Guha is an avowed Marxist, and in many of his later cricket books that agenda comes through. Being Guha, the writing is superb, and the cricket descriptions wonderful, but these two -- his first two books -- were written by Guha the cricket fan. He learned cricket on the knee of his uncle Durai, an LAS who would have played for India (as per Guha), had he not lost his right arm in a childhood accident. The books are replete with these tales and beautifully written. They bring to life long-lost heroes -- where else would we learn so much about CK Naidu, Lala Amarnath (my father's favorite cricketer), Mushtaq Ali (my mother's) and so much about the history of Ranji cricket and the rivalries. The book brings Indian cricket alive as no other book(s) I have read have done before.
As an aside, it has been my distinct privilege to watch two full Tests in Bangalore in Durai's company, and I can testify that he has yarns that didn't make it into the book, and is one of the most entertaining people to watch a game with.
Just to add to the pot:
"Cardus on Cricket" Cardus
Cardus is simply the best cricket writer that ever has lived. His turn of phrase is almost lyrical -- this compendium, has many of his best articles, press reports and essays. A must have for any serious cricket fan.
Most Psmith Wodehouse's have cricket, and only hardly needs an excuse to read Wodehouse anyway.
Bharat
Just plain fun
"Wickets in the East" and "Spin and other Turns" Guha
These two have been combined and re-released as "The States of Indian Cricket"
Guha is an avowed Marxist, and in many of his later cricket books that agenda comes through. Being Guha, the writing is superb, and the cricket descriptions wonderful, but these two -- his first two books -- were written by Guha the cricket fan. He learned cricket on the knee of his uncle Durai, an LAS who would have played for India (as per Guha), had he not lost his right arm in a childhood accident. The books are replete with these tales and beautifully written. They bring to life long-lost heroes -- where else would we learn so much about CK Naidu, Lala Amarnath (my father's favorite cricketer), Mushtaq Ali (my mother's) and so much about the history of Ranji cricket and the rivalries. The book brings Indian cricket alive as no other book(s) I have read have done before.
As an aside, it has been my distinct privilege to watch two full Tests in Bangalore in Durai's company, and I can testify that he has yarns that didn't make it into the book, and is one of the most entertaining people to watch a game with.
Just to add to the pot:
"Cardus on Cricket" Cardus
Cardus is simply the best cricket writer that ever has lived. His turn of phrase is almost lyrical -- this compendium, has many of his best articles, press reports and essays. A must have for any serious cricket fan.
Most Psmith Wodehouse's have cricket, and only hardly needs an excuse to read Wodehouse anyway.
Bharat
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