With important series looming, imaginative and thoughtful selection could very well be decisive for both India and Australia in the next few months

Dravid's selection over Pujara was timid

With important series looming, imaginative and thoughtful selection could very well be decisive for both India and Australia in the next few months.

Consequently, preferring Rahul Dravid over the highly impressive Cheteshwar Pujara for the first Test against New Zealand was a surprisingly timid move by the Indian panel.

Rave reviews

Pujara deservedly received rave reviews for both his technique and temperament in his match-clinching innings against Australia. While this isn't the Australian attack of the Shane Warne- Glenn McGrath era, they still don't go down without a fight.

However, the Indian selectors opted for a safety first move when the situation cried out for a bit of imagination. Especially after Mahendra Singh Dhoni had promoted Pujara to three against Australia with such stunning results.

At this stage of his career, Dravid is not the ideal player to bat three in South Africa. He's been hanging on by his finger nails for a while now and although he's never been a dominant player, he's even more prone to periods of stagnation in his declining years.

South Africa's strategy is based on tying batsmen down and reducing the flow of runs to a trickle. If Dravid struggles and scores slowly he'll play right into their hands.

It seems pointless to have Virender Sehwag rattle the opposition with mercurial stroke play at the top of the order and then risk allowing the bowling side back into the contest while Dravid fights for survival.

The impressive way Pujara played the horizontal bat shots was another reason to give him every opportunity to succeed before touring South Africa. Someone at the top of the order will need to defuse the Proteas pace attack if India is to win on this tough tour.

If Pujara had failed to grasp the opportunity against New Zealand then the selectors always had the option of returning Dravid to the middle-order and using the more aggressive Laxman at three in South Africa.

Predictable ton
Dravid's hundred against the lamentable New Zealanders wasu00a0predictable, however it proved nothing ufffd apart from boosting his statistics. His selection was an opportunity wasted.

Australia's plight is an entirely different case.

Where India is winning and finds it difficult to change a successful combination, Australia is losing and the selectors are desperate to unearth a couple of young players who can help arrest the slide.

However, the Australian selectors face a dilemma. A loss at home to England would be viewed by the public as a calamity in the order of the global financial crisis.

The selectors are walking the high-wire without a safety net as they totter between gambling on youth from the outset or hoping the experienced players re-discover the art of winning in the nick of time. A move to the former policy after the latter had failed would be completing the act only after the safety net had been discovered.

The other problem for the Australian selectors is that, while most of the controversy has surrounded the middle-order batting, the clue to solving the puzzle may well be the bowling attack.

The lack of form from Mitchell Johnson is a big concern. He's been the strike bowler since Brett Lee's departure but his ambushes have been far less frequent of late. Do the selectors gamble that the extra pace and bounce of Australian pitches will help Johnson rediscover his wicket-taking form or do they take the radical step of omitting their most successful bowler?

They might compromise with a moderate gamble. Omit Marcus North and play Steven Smith and retain Johnson.
This way you don't weaken the batting too much with Brad Haddin in the six spot and you give the bowling more variety. It would also allow Ponting to use Johnson purely as a strike bowler in short sharp bursts.

The really good selectors have a knack for seeing the current requirements while also visualising what's needed in the future. Another reason why it's more important to spend lavishly to get the right selectors rather than reward a coach with a big contract.

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