Current form more important than past record: Shivalkar

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal"><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">MUMBAI:</span> For every success story in Indian cricket there are numerous heartbreaking ones too. Simply put, for every Bedi there is a Padmakar Shivalkar and a Rajinder Goel. <br /><br />If our current selectors are allowed to have there way very shortly we will have another career meeting a similar end.The unlucky player in question this time around is left-arm spinner Murali Kartik. <br /><br />For Shivalkar and Goel it was a case being born in a wrong era and it was a fight against the better talent and craft of Bedi. Murali is lucky in that sense, but seems to be becoming a victim of a strange selection policy. <br /><br />You don’t have to be an expert to judge, on current form, who the most effective spinner in the country is. But the wise men who matter beg to differ. <br /><br />Murali was clearly the most impressive Indian bowler in the TVS one-day series while we saw our established names struggling in the recent Test series against New Zealand. <br /><br />For the Railways spinner not being selected for the Australian Test series is the second major disappointment after a shock omission from the World Cup squad even though he was in brilliant form in the run-up to it. <br /><br />"Murali would be naturally disappointed as he is the best left-arm spinner in the country and has made an impression in the limited matches he has played. I expected him to be in the team." <br /><br />"Usually pace is preferred in Australia but the general opinion this time was we would take three spinners," said Shivalkar. "I can understand his disappointment." <br /><br />"I had faced similar disappointment in 1974 when I was in the camp and was tipped as a surety in the team but did not find my name when the team was announced." <br /><br />Another reason Shivalkar felt Murali should have been on the Australian flight is the strength of the Aussie batsmen against pace.<br /><br />"Australians are used to playing pace and hence medium-pacers would not be as effective against them unless they are really good. On the other hand if the spinners bowl well they can have the Australian batsmen straining at the leash. Murali could have provided good support to Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble." <br /><br />Shivalkar, who has 589 wickets against his name in first-class cricket, also felt that current form, is more important than past record. "Past record is in the past, current form is what matters. How long you can sit on past performances," asks Shivalkar.</div> </div>