'Pick Powar...'

MiD DAY February 6, 2007

By: Suhrid Barua February 6, 2007

BANGALORE: Ramesh Powar’s hopes of making it to the World Cup may appear dim following his exclusion from the Indian team for the first two one-dayers against Sri Lanka.Former India leg-spinner BS Chandrashekar feels three spinners should be picked if the threesome delivers.Balance needed“If you have three spinners and the selectors think they can strike a right balance and do the job, then go ahead with it,” he told MiD DAY yesterday.Averring that Powar has performed well in the series against West Indies, the 61-year-old legendary leggie said the selectors would have to take a call after weighing the pros and cons.“From the little I saw of him in Chennai, I reckon he is a decent bowler. No player should be picked for the heck of it. As long as the team benefits, it is fair enough.Be clear“If the selectors feel three tweakers and four seamers are good enough to do the job, then we shouldn’t have any second thoughts on it. Similarly, if we think five seamers and two spinners can do the job, take them to West Indies.When queried whether packing the side with three spinners would be a luxury, Chandrashekar snapped back.Performance, key“How can he be a luxury? Obviously, if the selectors decide to include three spinners in the side, they would be sure of their abilities to deliver the goods there. The bottomline is that the guys picked in the side should be able to pull their weight together,” he pointed out.