Round Characters

Bob Woolmer has suggested the remedy of three-dimensional players for the rejuvenation of Indian cricket. In this respect, although he has made mention of the batting credentials of Irfan Pathan, he has missed out on the bowling acumens of Dinesh Mongia and Sridharan Sriram, who are much more regular first-class cricket bowlers than the likes of Yuvraj Singh and Virender Sehwag. In fact, Sri Lanka has been immensely successful with their spinner all-rounders like Sanath Jayasuriya and Upul Chandana, who stifle the run-flow in the crucial middle overs of a one-day match and even take wickets when the final slog is on. The likes of Mongia and Sriram, along with Sehwag in particular, can do the same for India. The problem with India, even under the dynamic leadership of Sourav Ganguly, has been that batsmen who can bowl are not groomed as all-rounders and bowlers who can bat are allowed to continue only as entertainment packages when it comes to the matter of wielding the willow. The Indian think-tank, whoever it consists of, must accept the fact that all-rounders if not born, are to be made, as Pakistan has done with Abdul Razzaq, Shoaib Malik and earlier with Azhar Mahmood.