12 years ago
What is to be seen now is the final XI that take to the Eden Gardens on December 5.
Ashok Dinda, who was with the team as a cover for injured Umesh Yadav, is in the squad.
Expectedly, the same squad is retained.
Squad for 3rd:
MS Dhoni (Captain and wicket-keeper), Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Cheteshwar Pujara, R. Ashwin, Ashok Dinda, Pragyan Ojha, Ajinkya Rahane, Harbhajan Singh, Ishant Sharma, Murali Vijay, Zaheer Khan
Squad for 3rd:
MS Dhoni (Captain and wicket-keeper), Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Cheteshwar Pujara, R. Ashwin, Ashok Dinda, Pragyan Ojha, Ajinkya Rahane, Harbhajan Singh, Ishant Sharma, Murali Vijay, Zaheer Khan
Bringing in someone new -- like Amit Mishra or Piyush Chawla -- is an option. But that can only be if selectors aren't trusting the current crop of spinners in the squad.
Bhajji's return to Tests in Mumbai wasn't inspiring at all -- he just managed to pick up two tail-enders.
Though Harbhajan Singh has a great record at the Eden Gardens, it's difficult for him to bypass R Ashwin, if Dhoni wishes to return to the two-spinners game plan.
Though Ajinkya Rahane's inclusion has been a topic of discussion for quite sometime now, it is unlikely that he can squeeze past Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli.
So no changes there too.
Cheteshwar Pujara has shown that he can rise up to become an heir to him.
The No.3 spot has seldom seen too any changes for many years now, as Rahul Dravid ruled it.
The openers's slots are unlikely to be disturbed. Both Sehwag and Gambhir have had a mixed run, but not really bad enough to lose their places.
So what kind of changes, if at all, are we looking at...
Dhoni likes to give players a long run, and he has told that failure in a couple of matches shouldn't be judged.
Sanjay Jagdale enters the BCCI office.
East Zone selector Saba Karim comes in.
Chief selector Sandeep Patil comes for the meeting.
Dhoni enters for the meeting.
Sourav Ganguly has commented that Dhoni should opt for Ashok Dinda in place of Harbhajan Singh in the next game.
Umesh Yadav is already out of contention after being injured.
The selectors and the skipper enter for the selection meeting in Mumbai.
The selectors have quite a few things to think of in today's meeting.
Well, not exactly wrong his part. But, if only the spinners really bowled well.
"... And since spinners are our strength, we should have spinning tracks."
Dhoni point: "No point trying to win a toss and bat on a flat wicket. Rather play on a challenging wicket...
But Dhoni still wants a similar track at the Eden Gardens too when the third Test starts on December 5.
But neither Indian spinners could inflict the desired damage, nor the batsmen applied themselves to score against English bowlers,
Skipper MS Dhoni had wanted a spinning track, which he got in Mumbai.
India suffered a crushing 10-wickets defeat as England wrapped up the match on the dourth day itsefl at Wankhede.
