Because of this price tag factor we have sidelined people like Boucher, Merwe, and Appanna in favor of established names. There is no justification for dropping them; they had performed well, but had to make way for the stars.
On the other hand the local star Dravid was also not even utilized properly because the team management thought just about everybody else could do the job better than him. Just like the guys I mentioned above, Dravid is a fighter. He doesn’t take his place for granted as we are constantly reminded by commentators of his age and agility. He shows way more intensity on the field compared to Praveen Kumar who is just resting on his laurels.
The team mangement’s line of thinking has been exposed; when we’ve been 6 wickets down, Dale Steyn has been coming out to bat before Vinay Kumar. Dale Steyn is an expectional bowler, but Vinay Kumar can bat better. This isn’t such a big deal, but when this line of thinking is applied to our batting order, or even when picking the team, it can(and has) lead to disaster.
