Badri, Kohli give hope for remaining ODIs

Virat Kohli and Subramanium Badrinath produced the kind of performances that give India hope in the remainder of the ODI series in Sri Lanka even though they might not have made up for the absence of stalwarts Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag.

Mind you, it would not have been easy for Kohli to slip into the opener’s job that was made doubly difficult with Gautam Gambhir too ruled out at the last minute. Nor would it have been any different for Badrinath to see the team through when others before him failed to come to terms with the conditions.

The kind of spell Zaheer Khan produced early in the match, it should have been a cakewalk for India, but India only continued their struggle on a tour that will likely be remembered as a low point in batting.

Kohli was a surprise inclusion in the team for the series and may have a great deal to look forward to considering his young age of 19, but 27-year-old Badrinath had reached a stage of frustration as the Indian cap seemed to come close to him time and again, only to fly away.

Named in the squad for the home series against Australia last season, Badrinath did not get to play and was surprisingly ignored by selectors from then on. This time too, he had all but missed the bus, only to be named as a replacement for the injured Tendulkar. The Tamil Nadu batsman may not have been brilliant on debut but certainly showed his caliber in a sweet unbeaten knock of 27 that pulled India out of the doldrums to win the second ODI.

Badrinath has been around for some years now, his performances in domestic cricket and for India A teams standing testimony to his worth and the ability to remain cool in adversity. For Delhi colt Kohli, success in under-19 cricket helped gain confidence that he has carried into international cricket.

The selectors seem to have done a fine job in picking these two, even though some would rightly point out that Badrinath should have been selected ahead of Kohli. But one does feel that the wise men need to show a little more flexibility in trying to ensure a balance of experience and youth.

Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid may not have much of a future in ODIs, but it may not be a bad idea to keep them in the scheme of things rather than just rule them out once and for all. Just like the Test team lacks exuberance, the ODI team could do with experience, especially in situations like India faced in Dambula.