PUJARA OVER ROHIT FOR TESTS: VVS

Two talented batsmen, both in their late 20s, are looking to catch the eye of skipper Virat Kohli as the Indian team trains at the Green Park stadium in Kanpur ahead of the first Test against New Zealand. If Kohli persists with his five-bowler theory on home soil, though, only one of them is likely to find his name on the team sheet.

Rohit Sharma's brief fling with Test cricket has not seen him achieve the kind of success he enjoys in limited overs, though there's no denying his “talent and ability to single-handedly win matches in any format“, says former India batsman VVS Laxman. Given a choice, Laxman, however, would pick the other contender, Cheteshwar Pujara, who he says “merits his spot“.

“Rohit has to get his gameplan right in Tests. You can see in ODIs or T20s, his consistency has a lot to do with the conviction with which he approaches each innings. He lacks that belief in the longer format,“ Laxman told TOI at a Star Sports event here.

“Given a choice, I would select Pujara. The number of runs he has made in the Duleep Trophy (453 runs in 3 innings at an average of 226.5) has made his inclusion a certainty . He is the perfect candidate to slot in at No. 3.“

Laxman, dressed in a well-fitted navy blue suit, was also full of praise for Karnataka opener KL Rahul.

“The amount KL Rahul has grown in stature over the past year is incredible. His entire body language has changed.

:I think it has a lot to do with Virat Kohli, whose positivity seems to have rubbed off on him since joining RCB in the IPL,“ he said. It might even be enough to nudge him ahead of Shikhar Dhawan, who made 196 runs in eight outings against the West Indies. “I think he (Rahul) will sneak in ahead of Shikhar. He has been in such terrific form that it is essential to include him across all formats.“

`Lack of quality spinners at domestic level'

Part of a generation of Indian batsmen famed for tackling ­ and often annihilating -spinners, the 41-year-old Hyderabadi refused to get too critical about India's recent travails against the turning ball.

“When we were growing up, every domestic team had two or three quality spinners.Unfortunately , the country isn't producing as many spinners these days, so there is less opportunity to practice against quality spin. It has a lot to do with the amount of limited-overs cricket that we play these days, especially T20s. Improved bats and more powerful strikers mean any bowler who is scared to get hit becomes defensive.

“It's very important to ingrain in the spinners ­ right from junior level ­ that they should look to get wickets rather than wait for the batsman to commit a mistake. The common factor between all successful spinners around the world is their attitude, not technique.“

KAPIL LAMENTS LACK OF ALL-ROUNDER WHO BOWLS MEDIUM-PACE

Former captain Kapil Dev is disappointed he is still referred to as the last genuine medium-pace all-rounder from the country.“Yes, it is disappointing. We haven't seen so many players who bowl at a decent pace and also have the potential to win you a match with the bat consistently. I suppose it's because there is so much cricket played now that the fitness required to excel as a fastbowling all-rounder is too great,“ he told TOI.

Kapil also said it is natural for genuine pacers in the country to suffer a dip in speed because of the scarcity of options. “We don't have many fast bowlers, so when a new guy comes along, it becomes difficult to rotate him and he will inevitable suffer from burnout or injury because of the amount of overs he has to bowl in taxing conditions.“

(TOI)