Challenger Series: India hopefuls brace for the challenge

NAGPUR: Just last year, Indian cricket was in the midst of a purple patch. Mahendra Singh Dhoni's team was enjoying the success in both Test and one-day format. All selectors had to do in the last edition of the Challenger Series was to plug a few loopholes before the World Cup.
The Cup is back in India after 28 years, but India are no longer No. 1 in the longer format.The challenge before the selectors is to create a talent pool for Team India to draw from as the rebuilding process begins.
The Challenger Series provides a perfect opportunity for the selectors to identify right men for right jobs. The four-day event, which begins at Vidarbha Cricket Association's Jamtha stadium on Monday, presents different challenge for different players.
For some, it's an opportunity to regain their form and fitness; for some it would be to show they still have it in them; for others it's a chance to make a mark and show the selectors that they can add to the bench strength. The stage is set for the youngsters, hopefuls and discards to make their presence felt.
For starters, Harbhajan Singh would be keen to prove a point or two. The veteran off-spinner hasn't been on top of his game in the past two years.
Ignored by the selectors for the first two ODIs against England, Harbhajan must convince the selectors that he still has it in him to be India's No 1 spinner.
A good show by the depleted Mumbai Indians under his leadership has done Harbhajan's confidence a world of good. A good outing in the Challenger Series will only hasten his comeback.
For Gautam Gambhir, it's an ideal opportunity to have some quality match practice. He hasn't played much cricket after returning injured from England. He looked in good touch in the last two matches of the Champions League T20 but the 50-overs game here will give him a good opportunity to spend some time in the middle ahead of England series.
All eyes on Monday's opening game between India Blue and India Red would be on the Pathan brothers - Irfan and Yusuf - who find themselves in different teams.
While Irfan is expected to play a key role the Badrinath-led Blues, Yusuf will be turning out for Gambhir-led Reds. The duo has a point to prove, even as they look to get back into the Indian team.
Badrinath has fine record in this tournament. After a forgettable West Indies tour, he would be hoping for another opportunity. Also hoping to impress the selectors would be the likes of Dinesh Karthik and Robin Uthappa, Murali Vijay and Saurabh Tiwary, who are all in the Blues camp.
The man to watch in the Reds line-up will be Shikhar Dhawan. Fresh from his exploits in the Irani Trophy where he hit a century in each innings for Rest of India, the Delhi opener is in red-hot form. A couple of good knocks will further enhance his chances of breaking into India's ODI squad.
With fast bowlers suffering frequent injuries, the selectors would be keeping a close watch on the likes Abhimanyu Mithun, Prashant Parameshwaran, Pradeep Sangwan, Jaydev Unadkat, Samad Fallah, Ishwar Choudhary, Sumit Narwal would be keen to prove that their performance in domestic circuit wasn't a fluke. On the other hand, experienced campaigners like Rudra Pratap Singh and Pankaj Singh will be hoping to get another chance.
There is a stiff competition among the spinners. Pragyan Ojha, Amit Mishra and Piyush Chawla have been around for a while but now they would be eyeing a permanent spot.
IPL stars like Paul Valthaty, Manish Pandey, Ambati Rayudu, Mohnish Mishra and Iqbal Abdullah too would like to prove that they can be equally effective in the one-dayers too.
Teams:
India Blue: S Badrinath (capt), M Vijay, Paul Valthaty, Manish Pandey, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Mandeep Singh, Saurabh Tiwary, Irfan Pathan, Amit Mishra, Pragyan Ojha, YV Krishanatry, Prashant Parameshwaran, Pradeep Sangwan, Tanmay Srivastava.
India Red: Gautam Gambhir (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Abhinav Mukund, Ambati Rayudu, Ashok Menaria, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Jalaj Saxena, Piyush Chawla, Bhargav Bhatt, Pankaj Singh, Jaydev Unadkat, TP Sudhindra, Yusuf Pathan, RP Singh
India Green: Harbhajan Singh (capt), Robin Uthappa, S Anirudha, T Suman, Mohnish Mishra, Ishank Jaggi, Mohammad Kaif, CM Gautham (wk), Sarabjit Ladda, Iqbal Abdulla, Abhimanyu Mithun, Samad Fallah, Ishwar Choudhary, Sumit Narwal.
Schedule:
October 10: India Blue vs India Red
October 11: India Red vs India Green
October 12: India Blue vs India Green
October 13: Final