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Ravindra Jadeja, the Saurashtra all-rounder, must be feeling special. The team management has placed immense faith in him, almost cajoling the lower-order batsman and left-arm spinner to make the No.7 spot his own in the run-up to the World Cup.
Since the baffling decline of Irfan Pathan, the team hasn't been able to find a player who can fill in the role of a specialist fifth bowler and also bat when the need arises. Abhishek Nayar's bowling doesn't inspire confidence, according to India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Yusuf Pathan's tendency to blow hot and cold has led to him not being a regular in the scheme of things.
On Sunday, Jadeja used his left-arm spin to beat the edge of Dhoni's blade on a few occasions. This was shortly after the India skipper had reposed faith in Jadeja as the player who will do the job for India at No.7. The plan is to use Jadeja as the fifth bowler and hope that he clicks with the bat.
The severity of the problem of finding the elusive all-rounder can be gauged by the reluctance of the India team management to think beyond Jadeja at the moment because they feel there are no viable options. In case Jadeja's bowling form fades, then India is planning to play a specialist batsman to fill the No.7 slot, a move that could backfire if the part-time bowlers, namely Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh have a bad day.
In an ideal scenario, the team would have liked a medium-pacer all-rounder, who will fit the bill when they play on the seaming tracks abroad and also have the option of a spinner all-rounder who will play on the slower tracks in the sub-continent. The pressing need is to find the all-rounder who can not only bat a bit but also bowl his full quota of 10 overs, while not leak too many runs.
Yet with the World Cup just six months away, India is struggling to find their ideal No.7. The team had placed faith in Irfan, coach Gary Kirsten had revealed during the first Test at Galle last month. Irfan's ability to hit the big shots also gave the team the option of using him as a pinch-hitter up the order if the need be.
However, Irfan has fallen out of the reckoning for now because of his bowling and fitness. "Irfan was certainly one individual that we year-marked but he is probably a little bit light on his bowling side," Kirsten had said.
Dhoni spelt out the team's strategy. "One thing that Jadeja was really doing well for us was that he was bowling. In fact, at times it seemed that we were playing with five specialist bowlers. Three fast bowlers, Harbhajan was the fourth bowler and Jadeja was doing the part of the fifth specialist bowler and was contributing a bit with the bat. So if he is not doing that well with the ball, we can offer to have one more specialist batsmen," Dhoni said.
"If that number 7 slot player is not doing the bowling that well, then it is always better to have a specialist batsman. But I still think Jadeja can do the job for us. So I am just hoping he comes back to form," Dhoni added.
A specialist batsmen at No.7 means either one of Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma will be in the running for the spot in the playing XI leading into the World Cup. Yet, Dhoni will be hoping Jadeja lifts up his game.
None other than former Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne had marked out Jadeja as special talent during the Indian Premier League, but Jadeja just hasn't done enough to seal his spot in the team. The coming days will either ease worries or only heighten them. It solely depends on Jadeja's performance with both bat and ball.
* Live on Ten Sports, 2.30 pm
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