Sachin’s ton, dependable youngsters on 2012 wishlist

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Here is a shortlist of all the things one would like to see in Team India in 2012:
1. Sachin gets his 100th international ton in a Test-winning cause Down Under: He should not get a hundred just to get an albatross off his neck.

But he must do it quickly if India are to be a force in the series.
When else will Sachin ever get a chance to be part of a team that has three effective fast bowlers who are all hitting the 140-150 kmph mark consistently? If he makes that hundred soon, he can help save the Sydney Test and get Team India to regroup in Australia. But if he fails to be inspirational in the leading batsman’s role, he won’t get another chance at correcting history that shows no Test series wins for India Down Under.
2. A more attacking M.S. Dhoni: He has been called Captain Cool and there is no doubting the limited-overs record of his team. But, maybe, they have forgotten how to press on in Test cricket in which they were the numero uno only a short while ago, in fact, right up to last summer when they lost their crown in England.
Why more dynamic captaincy is needed is our bowlers are struggling to shift the tail who added more than 200 runs in the Melbourne Test. And when coming across dry wicket conditions in Sydney, Dhoni fell back to a pedestrian defensive role that did nothing for the reputation of a side aspiring to be the top Test team in the world again.
3. Acceptance of UDRS in Tests: Come on! Let’s not be seen as Luddites. We are not scared of technology and merely doubt its veracity. Nothing in the world is 100 per cent and to give erring human umpires a better chance the review system must be supported. Yes, there are technical points over the accuracy of its predictive parts. But look at the positives — no batsman will be given out LBW if a ball is pitched outside leg stump and he won’t be given out either if the point of impact is beyond off stump. Filter out the predictive parts and accept a modified system that eliminates the most common errors that umpires who depend only on their eyesight make. Also considering the quality of Channel Nine replays with the new Hot Spot and SuperSloMo giving court evidence quality, cricket should go ahead with making the UDRS compulsory in Tests.
4.Pace attack should be kept in fast forward mode: By looking forward rather than back and picking the likes of Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron (who could not make it to the series) and Abhimanyu Mithun, the selectors have done a great job. Let not the fast bowling jobs be handed, even in an emergency, to those who are no more capable of handling it. Let’s not have the R.P. Singhs and the Sreesanths making tours as emergency replacements. Groom the young and quality will come out as we see in the case of Yadav. What we don’t want to see is pace bowlers sauntering in from a holiday in exotic places like Miami and bowling a limb-loosening opening over in a Test match to let the whole side down.
5.Young batsmen stand up to be counted: These are early days yet for novitiate Test batsmen like Virat Kohli who is still in his first season. They are not to be condemned for failing overseas in high-profile series, which was the fate of Suresh Raina too in England. But, as a class, they must stand up to be counted among men the moment they are thrown into the deep end. Batting is an area Indian cricket is supposed to be rich in.
The last young batsman who made it as a regular is Gautam Gambhir. He too is struggling now and the value of patience cannot be stressed enough as Team India are on the cusp of a major transition. The younger generation must take charge.