Pavilion Se

M S DHONI (Captain), SHIKHAR DHAWAN, VIRAT KOHLI, SURESH RAINA, DINESH KARTHIK, MURALI VIJAY, ROHIT SHARMA, RAVINDER JADEJA, RAVICHANDRAN ASHWIN, IRFAN PATHAN, BHUVNESHWAR KUMAR, UMESH YADAV, AMIT MISHRA, VINAY KUMAR

The Indian Cricket squad for Champions Trophy 2013 in England was declared by the selectors last week. While there were few surprise exclusions of Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh, the 15 member squad looks more than secured. In seaming friendly conditions the Sandeep Patil headed committee went for quick bowlers with as many as seven bowlers in the squad.

Bowlers who found a place due to their consistent and excellent performance are Amit Mishra, Vinay Kumar and Umesh Yadav.

The other names like Ravi Ashwin, Ishant Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar were assured of their place in the side.

Though Mishra has been rewarded for his superb performance but I don’t think he’ll get a game. Given the conditions Dhoni would go with Ashwin, Ishant/Umesh, Irfan and Bhuvi.

On the other hand batting looks solid with Dhawan and Vijay as openers. Dinesh Karthik, though very unlikely could play and open the innings for the Men in Blue. 1 down is Virat Kohli followed by Rohit Sharma. Suresh Raina or Dhoni could come in next followed by Jadeja and Pathan.

This is the most likely playing eleven but MS DHONI in the past has surprised us with his decisions and it would be interesting to see as to what he does with the bunch of 14 players he has excluding himself.

The only surprise exclusion I find in this team is that of Yuvraj Singh. The lion of Punjab though may not be in prime form but he has a good record in England and can handle the short ball well. He has always proved his mettle on the big stage and he can also chip in with a few important overs. Leaving this I don’t find anything wrong with the squad. Another thing is that I would open with Dhawan and Karthik instead of Vijay as Karthik can handle the short ball well and is playing much better than Vijay at the moment. India also have to find a waay to fit in Irfan Pathan as he can prove to be a mich winner in foreign conditions. He has got his swing back and he can also hit a few out of the park. Irfan Pathan is a must in the playing eleven. The spin department will not see any surprises as Ashwin will play and Mishra may not even get a game.

We can only hope for India to win this CT13. Tune in on 6 June as the BLUE BRIGADE takes on the MIGHTY PROTEAS.