Questions abound as Dravid is axed Hindustantimes,

Kolkata, Oct. 15 -- The India squad selected on Thursday for the first two ODIs against Australia is balanced but not without anomalies. Spotted a contradiction? You won't if you are familiar with the way Indian cricket runs.

About the good things first. Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh are back. With a certain Gautam Gambhir in the mix to go with captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, that comprises a formidable batting line-up.

Problem is, even taking into consideration the batting abilities of allrounder Ravinder Jadeja, in terms of back-up there is just Virat Kohli. Will that be enough?

And why drop Rahul Dravid after digging him out of nowhere? The BCCI isn't exactly forthcoming with answers.

Another question is why have five medium-pacers in the XV. By naming Sudeep Tyagi in the squad, the quintet of selectors have unfurled a surprise that might catch the Australians unawares as well.

The other and more significant question is about Ishant Sharma. Last year, when Australia came over for a four-Test series, his presence was a major factor behind India's success. The same can't be said now because the 21-year-old has been overused since. Couldn't he be rested?

Here's hoping Ishant won't become the beast of burden from a promising, young bowler, contradicting the concept of preserving the ones of his kind. He has lost pace, everybody knows. Why risk losing more of his other qualities? The poser may have been dealt with but the answer certainly hasn't been made public.

There is also the curious case of Dravid. His exclusion is probably with an eye on the future. So why was such a retrograde step was taken in the first place.

Why was Dravid chosen for the trips to Sri Lanka and South Africa? Anomalies in selection? Well, they will exist. Dhoni & Co should still look forward to deliver the best. The selectors meet again in Nagpur on the day of the second ODI.

Tendulkar seems determined to play till World Cup

Successive selection committees under Dilip Vengsarkar and Kris Srikkanth had made it clear that they were keen on building a winning squad for the 2011 World Cup to be held in the sub continent. Against this background the recall of Rahul Dravid was clearly a retrograde step. Whatever merits his supporters might have found in his being reinstated after a two-year gap, Dravid's return was by no means going to offer a long term solution.

Thankfully, the selectors have realized this and have dropped him for the ODI series against Australia. Given his batting approach and his fielding which has seen better days, Dravid was increasingly looking a misfit in an Indian team getting younger and younger. The former captain now nearer 37 than 36 has rendered yeomen service to the team in the shorter version of the game but his time is past. He will no doubt continue to lend grace and strength to the Test squad but his overall strike rate of 71 in ODIs seems archaic as compared to most of the current team members who average between 85 and 100.

Indeed, there are only about 16 months to go for the World Cup and it is important that the selectors do not seek ad hoc solutions and keep the focus firmly on youth. Actually, the Indian team has a well settled look and the bench strength also is strong. This is reflected in a number of significant victories since the triumph in the CB Series in Australia in February last year.

There have been a couple of blips along the way, the setback in the recent ICC Champions Trophy being one of them. But, overall, the record has been exemplary and this is underlined by the No 2 slot that the Indians currently occupy in the ICC ODI rankings.

It is inevitable that a youth policy could meet with some hiccups but it is also important that the selectors maintain faith in youngsters and keep their focus on long term plans and not short term solutions. A few failures by the youngsters should not deter the selectors from adopting a far sighted policy which will benefit the Indian team in the long run.

Sachin Tendulkar seems determined to play till the 2011 World Cup and this determination has seen him among the runs. Even at 36, he is fully deserving of a place. The rest of the batting - Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir are automatic choices. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are waiting in the wings and should be encouraged. Kohli has in fact found a place in the side to meet the Aussies but Rohit's turn will surely come.

The bowling too is in good hands. Harbhajan Singh and Amit Mishra again form the spin duo in the current squad but it is good to know that Pragyan Ojha and Piyush Chawla are around to keep them on their toes.

The pace bowling scenario despite hiccups wears an encouraging look. When for example the selectors have found it fit to drop RP Singh they have also unearthed an exciting young talent in Sudeep Tyagi. Munaf Patel was bound to make a comeback on current form and the presence of Ashish Nehra and Praveen Kumar is reassuring.

There remains the problem of Ishant Sharma. He has been retained in the squad despite a lean run of late. I am firmly of the view that he needs a break after which he is sure to come back a better bowler - the kind of bowler who burst upon the scene so dramatically a couple of years ago. Perhaps for a start he could be used sparingly in the series against the Aussies.

The one issue that continues to affect the Indian team's balance is the No 7 slot. Irfan Pathan was the last to fill the place with some substance. Since then the problem has persisted. Yusuf Pathan seemed to be the answer but he has flattered only to deceive. Abhisekh Nayar in his limited opportunities never gave the impression that he was fit for elevation to the utility man's slot in the national squad. Ravindra Jadeja is the latest to fill the position and it is to be hoped that he comes good against the Aussies. Otherwise the selectors will have to fall back upon Irfan Pathan.

Six killed as explosion hits Pakistan's Peshawar

Pakistani forces attacked the Taliban in their South Waziristan stronghold with aircraft and artillery on Friday as an explosion killed six people near a police station in Peshawar, the government and a witness said.

The government says a ground offensive against the Pakistani Taliban in their South Waziristan lair is imminent and the army has been stepping up its air and artillery attacks in recent days to soften up the militants' defences.

The militants have launched a string of brazen attacks in the past 11 days, attacking the United Nations, the army headquarters, police and general public, killing about 150 people, apparently trying to stave off the army assault.

Friday's explosion was near a police station in the capital of North West Frontier Province, a way station for U.S. supplies into neighbouring Afghanistan.

"I can count six bodies," a Reuters witness said. No other details were immediately available.

The government says the violence has only reinforced its determination to defeat its enemies.

Nuclear-armed Pakistan is under U.S. pressure to crack down on Islamic militancy as President Barack Obama considers a boost in troop numbers fighting in neighbouring Afghanistan.

Aircraft and artillery struck militant positions in their strongholds of Ladha, Makeen and in the mountainous Shahoor region overnight, hours after killing 27 militants in the region in various strikes.

"We could see thick smoke and flames leaping into the sky from caves in the mountains after the bombing by jet fighters," said a resident near Shahoor who declined to be identified.

Security officials said they had no information about casualties in the latest attacks.

"SOME FLEEING"

An army official in the region said some Taliban were trying to leave the area in disguise ahead of the offensive.

"They are now trying to run but we have tightened controls around their areas and are checking every person leaving," said the military official in Wana, the main town in South Waziristan, where the army has a base.

About 28,000 troops are in place to take on an estimated 10,000 hard-core Taliban, army officials have said.

Pakistan's stock market slipped as the violence escalated at the beginning of the week, but the main index was 0.88 percent higher at 9,932.77 at 0618 GMT.

Investors would be reassured by an offensive on South Waziristan, dealers say.

Pakistani Taliban fighters made advances towards Islamabad early this year, raising fears about the stability of the U.S. ally.

But significant military gains in the Swat valley, from where militants have largely been driven out in recent months, have reassured the U.S. and Western allies about Pakistan's commitment to fighting terrorism.

In a sign of U.S. continuing support, President Barack Obama signed on Wednesday a $7.5 billion aid bill for Pakistan over the next five years.

But Pakistan's military has complained about the bill because the legislation ties some funds to fighting militants and is seen by critics as violating sovereignty.

(For more Reuters coverage of Afghanistan and Pakistan, see: http://www.reuters.com/news/globalcoverage/afghanistanpakistan)

(Reporting by Hafiz Wazir; Editing by Nick Macfie)

Nifty, Sensex soar to new 52-week highs

The key benchmark indices were trading at new year highs in the early deals amid positive cues in Asian markets. The Sensex was up 193 points to 17,220 levels and the Nifty rose 57 points to 5,111. The Sensex and Nifty had soared to new 52-week highs when it touched 17,247 and 5118 respectively at their day's highest levels.
“The second quarter results are very important for the markets. Though the overall fundamentals are improving, valuations are a bit on the higher side,” said P N Vijay, MD, PN Vijay Financial Services.
Metal, realty and auto

stocks trended higher today. The metal index on the BSE rose 1.4 per cent and the BSE realty index advanced 1.2 per cent. The auto index also surged 1.2 per cent.
Among the Sensex stocks, Reliance Infra rose 2.2 per cent. M&M, Hero Honda, HDFC and Sterlite Ind were the other major gainers, up over 1.7 per cent each.
However, RCom was the biggest loser in the group. The stock shed 2.4 per cent.
In the US markets, most stocks posted modest losses after quarterly sales at Johnson & Johnson fell short of expectations and an influential analyst stirred worries that bank shares are overheated.
The Dow fell 14.74, or 0.2 percent, to 9,871.06. The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 3.00, or 0.3 percent, to 1,073.19, its first loss after six days of gains. The Nasdaq rose 0.75, or less than 0.1 percent, to 2,139.89.
Asian markets were trading mostly higher today. China’s Shanghai Composite was up 2.1 per cent and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose 1.4 per cent. Japan’s Nikkei, however, fell 0.3 per cent.
(With AP inputs)

We will fight China with our vote'

China may have chosen voting day to amp up its claim to Arunachal Pradesh. The state delivered a fitting answer - a whopping 72 per cent voter turnout. One voter we met said, "No one has to fight China. We will do that through our vote".

China expressed its fury early on Tuesday over the Prime Minister's visit to Arunachal 10 days ago. India responded by summoning the Chinese ambassador and saying it's "disappointed" with China's stand. "Arunachal is part and parcel of India. There is no question about it," said External Affairs Minister SM Krishna to NDTV.

For weeks, the Indian government has been denying that China's been getting more aggressive on border issues with repeated incursions into Indian territory. Tuesday's exchange exposes the escalating tension.

At stake in Tuesday's election: 57 of the 60 seats in the state assembly. Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu and two other Congress candidates have been elected unopposed from the three seats in Tawang district.

Arunachal usually tends to side with the ruling party at the centre, but this time around, voters seem more discerning. A woman we spoke to in Itanagar says, "Till the ruling party Congress stays, I don't think they can deliver. Congress is on a sticky wicket. Just look at the price rise - potato at 30 rupees, we poor people can't afford this".

Maoists blast telecom tower in Bihar

SITAMARHI: Maoists bombed a tower of a private telecom firm and torched a truck at Brindabazar in Bihar's Sheohar district on Tuesday night.

Around 45-50 ultras swooped on the Brindaban bazaar, ordered the villagers not to venture out of their homes and destroyed a tower of Airtel, officials said on Wednesday.

They later set ablaze a truck after asking its occupants to vacate it.

The attacks came on the second day of their two-day bandh.

Eagles beat Sussex in Super Over, enter Super Eight

NEW DELHI: Diamond Eagles defeated Sussex Sharks in a pulsating Super Over contest and joined New South Wales from Group B in the Super Eight stage of the Champions League on Tuesday.

Scorecard | Match in Pics

Riding on a six from Rilee Rossouw, Eagles scored nine runs in their Super Over and then Cornelius de Villiers bagged back-to-back wickets to seal the nail-biting victory for the South African side.

de Villers went through the defence of both Dwayne Smith and Rory Hamilton-Brown in the first two deliveries of the Super Over to ensure the win and also reserved for his side a berth in the next league stage of the USD six million event.