Kolkata may test Taibu, Chopra

Thu, May 8 12:45 AM

Its pursuit of excellence reduced to a revival drive, the Kolkata team has resorted to exploring options. Shoaib Akhtar will not play on Thursday against fellow strugglers from Bangalore but the team management is thinking of trying a couple of players whose inclusion caused more surprise than awe at the auctions.

So coming to the 14-man squad for the seventh match are Tatenda Taibu and Aakash Chopra. None made this shortlist in any of the previous games and although they are still not certain to make the XI, their names being discussed means they are at least being considered useful after having spent most of their time in the hotel rooms.

No conclusion should be drawn in the days when too many things are happening briskly, but going by reputation and record, Chopra and Taibu are yet to establish themselves as crack Twenty20 players. Their inclusion in the squad suggests that people who plan have seen a spark in them or are desperate for alternatives.

Figuratively speaking, they have a lot to choose from because the full squad has 26 players. Call it ironic or absurd, there are far too many foot soldiers in the platoon who will never be considered for a place in the XI and that's why for Sourav Ganguly or John Buchanan, it's a problem of little rather than plenty.

Since a team can't field more than four overseas players in a match, Mohammed Hafeez has been left out. The Pakistan allrounder's performance is a fair indicator of how the team has done so far and he is nowhere close to being a heavyweight, as foreign recruits in this sort of a competition should be.

This leaves Taibu fighting for a slot in the XI with Salman Butt because Brad Hodge, David Hussey and Umar Gul are certainties. Butt was unavailable initially due to Pakistan's international commitments and failed in the only innings he played, in Jaipur.

Taibu apparently was a revelation in practice matches, although Butt's credentials as an international batsman are higher. Chopra is the most interesting choice and by miles.

Ever since India's tour of Australia in 2003-04, he has been branded as a player who is more dogged than dashing, although Ganguly was quick to point out that he has scored at a good strike rate in recent times.If Chopra plays, he will replace local boy Debabrata Das, whose fielding errors in two games have been as stark as the few big shots he played.

Following four straight defeats, the rousing start Kolkata made in Bangalore on April 18 is looking like it was in the distant past. That's how fast things can happen in Twenty20.

Preconceived notions of what's fast and slow are not welcome here. That's why Taibu and Chopra are not out of place until tested.

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