All eyes on Hirwani

By Our Special Correspondent

MUMBAI, FEB. 25. For obvious reasons Narendra Hirwani is getting all the attention at the Wankhede Stadium. Most observers assume he is a certainty for the first Test, because he bowls spin and the selectors cannot keep him in the reserves after recalling him after five years.

First the selection of the Madhya Pradesh leg-spinner for the first Test against Australia had almost everybody stumped. Indians are accustomed to such bizarre selections; only a few years ago, the national selectors picked Laxman Sivaramakrishnan for the Irani Cup match and forgot him after that.

Sivaramakrishnan was put on ``trial'' then because a couple of Indian batsmen impressed upon the selectors that the leg-spinner, who was not even considered by the Tamil Nadu selectors for the Ranji Trophy on a regular basis, was bowling his leg-breaks and googlies well and should be even picked in the national side. Such a `faux pas' did not happen after Sivaramakrishnan's poor results in the Irani Cup of that season.

Hirwani has been recalled after five seasons and after he failed to deliver against Hansie Cronje's South Africans at Motera in 1996. Sachin Tendulkar, the then captain rung in Javagal Srinath and the `Mysore Express' produced a match-winning spell. Hirwani played the second Test at Eden Gardens, which was his last before Messrs. Chandu Borde & Co. pencilled the beginning of another chapter for the leg-spinner.

Between the 1987-88 and 1996-97 seasons Hirwani played 17 Tests (not one against Australia) and took 66 wickets, with 20 wickets in three Tests against New Zealand in the 1988-89 series being his best aggregate. But his bowling thereafter has been a far cry from the spectacular debut he had against the West Indies. He took 16 wickets at 8.50 in Chennai.

Afterwards he took six wickets at 57.33 in three Tests against the West Indies in 1988-89, six wickets at 51.50 in three Tests against New Zealand in 1989-90, nine wickets at 65.11 in three Tests against England in 1990, one wicket at 34.00 in one Test against Sri Lanka in 1990-91, six wickets at 9.83 in one Test against New Zealand in 1995-96 and two wickets at 64.50 in two Tests against South Africa in 1996-97.

He returns for a probable 18th Test at a venue where he has taken seven wickets in one Test against New Zealand in 1988. His figures were three for 82 from 31 overs and four for 93 from 38 overs. It's almost 13 years since he played a Test at the Wankhede Stadium. But the selectors are hopeful he will strike it rich.

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