Gavaskar baffled by Pathan omission

“I think Dravid was selected in the first place because Sehwag was unfit. There was also talk of young players not too comfortable against short balls,” Gavaskar told a television channel, referring to Dravid being brought back into the one-day side after nearly two years for the tri-series in Sri Lanka and the Champions Trophy in South Africa.

Dravid did reasonably well in his five innings, scoring 180 runs including a half-century against Pakistan in the Champions Trophy tie.

Gavaskar expressed surprise that all-rounder Yusuf Pathan was left out of the squad. “Number six does not get too many overs to score. He should be assessed on his impact. When you try to hit quickfire 20-30, you will get out and it should not be held against you,” Gavaskar said. “Otherwise, no one will try to slog at six and seven.”

Gavaskar said Yusuf’s selection would have given the team better balance. “Not just the captain or coach, but the entire selection committee should think about utility and balance. Change for the sake of change is not good,” he asserted.

On the ODI series, Gavaskar said, “The pressure will be on Ricky Ponting. Since losing the Ashes, he has not played a single game in Australia. If he goes out winning from India, it will take some pressure off him.”