Buzz missing from India-Australia ODI?

Vadodara: The press is pitting the seven-match India-Australia one-day series as the definitive series to determine the fate of the ODI cricket.

True though it may be, but fans here in Vadodara, where first of the seven one-dayers is going to be played out on Sunday, are not particularly lining up at the gates of the Reliance Stadium.

Full-strength Indian and Australian teams have been practising for two days in the city, but net sessions have been given a miss by the locals, an unnatural phenomenon in India, much responsible for the buzz at the venues during the games.

Fans may have varied reasons for staying away from the practice sessions. Though it's still unclear if the heavy security at the stadium premises is keeping them away, or if there is a proper security protocol in place to not allow visitors during practice, some believe it is for pure cricketing reasons.

Some believe it is because of the absence of local heroes Irfan Pathan and Yusuf Pathan from the Indian squad.

Irfan made his debut for India five years ago, but lost his place recently owing to a dip in his bowling form. Although he has performed with the bat, his bowling, especially a marked drop in pace and swing, has kept him away from the Indian side.

Yusuf, Irfan's elder brother, on the other hand, was ommitted from the team just prior to the start of the India-Australia series. Yusuf, also an all-rounder, was part of the side at the Champions Trophy, but was left out.

While Irfan has been cooling his heels at his home not far away, Yusuf is engaged in the zonal Twenty20 competition in Pune, trying to regain what the selectors would have perceived to be a loss in form.

When asked at the press conference about the absence of the elder Pathan, Dhoni, though not in as many words, avoided a direct answer. "I agree that out of both sides, Australia have the better talent when it comes to all-rounders," he said.

In a recent discussion with CNN-IBN, batting legend Sunil Gavaskar was also perplexed with the selectors' decision to leave out Yusuf Pathan.

"A man like Yusuf Pathan can change a match in the last 5-10 overs," he said. "He is the kind of batsman who can do that and also come in and bowl you a few overs and fill up the fifth bowler's quota. To say that he didn't score too many runs is a little bit unfair, because he comes in to bat at No. 6, where you get very few overs."

"All a No. 6 or a No. 7 batsman, and it's not just Yusuf, has to do is go out and smash," he added. "He has no time to play himself in. He does it for the team because the team needs it."

Whether or not the outcome of the series will determine if ODI cricket will stay, or if either of the two Pathan brothers make it back to the side, it remains to be seen fans here will lap up the first one-dayer or give it the cold shoulder as has been the case in the practice sessions.