The moment Abhinav Mukund was named as replacement for Gautam Gambhir the murmur that did the rounds was - “So another player from Tamil Nadu”. This cuts both ways as the most talented set of players have emerged just when Kris Srikkanth is at the helm of the senior selection committee. While the happy coincidence should bring them opportunities, they would have to perform to scotch the silly talk about one state and the chief selector and so on.
The other candidate pushing for a spot in the Test team is Ajinkya Rahane from Mumbai. The diminutive bat is a product of the Bombay school of batting - good technique and balance to go with a sound temperament. But what tilted things in favour of Abhinav is that he is a regular opener while Rahane oscillates between opening the innings and also bats at three.
As many as six players from TN have been a part of the national squad at various stages after Srikkanth took over but not one got in without the necessary numbers to back their case strongly. Ironically, the one deserving candidate who failed to get his due is batsman S. Badrinath. Being a consistent run-maker in all three formats has not been enough for the 30-year-old to cement his place in the Indian side. After a decade of hard work, all he has to show is three ODI appearances and two Test caps.
At a time when Harbhajan’s form has been as stable as a second hand car, R. Ashwin who bowled Rest of India to a massive win over Ranji champions Mumbai in the recently concluded Irani Trophy is not even a part of the Test squad. In 19 ODIs with the Indian squad, Ashwin has been a part of the playing XI just once. All this when the premier off-spinner was missing action due to injury. Srikkanth and Co have never intervened with the selection of the playing XI, a problem that was apparent with earlier committees.
L. Balaji made the team for the tours of Sri Lanka and New Zealand in 2008-09. He did so only because he had a fantastic season in the Ranji Trophy and tasted success in the IPL and had to be given something in return. There can be no complaints about the selection of opener Murali Vijay and wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik. The former has been a class act in the domestic scene and has not looked out of place in the international arena. Karthik has also shaped well in spite of being drafted mostly as a last minute replacement.
Abhinav is the youngest first-class triple centurion and has been a reliable accumulator of runs from the start of his first class career as a 17-year-old. It can be difficult for certain quarters to accept so many names from Tamil Nadu doing the rounds at the same time. With the talent and infrastructure in place, not winning the Ranji Trophy is almost unacceptable, but at the same time victories in the shorter formats cannot be totally disregarded.
The ensuing season could well provide the answers. Barring laying hands on the much-coveted title, the state has never had it better. The talent pool has never been so well filled and each player who has been a part of the Indian dressing room made it there on his sweat and toil. The chairman coming from the same state is a mere coincidence.