Bits & Pieces is the way for India at the moment

You can call it the result of playing on docile wickets and the fact that Indian batsmen are chasing 300+ scores in nearly every one-dayer that they play or the ineffectiveness of the Indian bowling attack but the fact remains that the Indian selectors have understood that this team just cannot afford to have too many specialist bowlers. As a result, from Yousuf Pathan to Jadeja and now even, Abhishek Nayyar, all players who have a record of contributing with the bat and the ball have been inducted into the team. 2011 World Cup is not very far away and the selectors and the team management most probably understand that there is not much difference between someone who can give-away six or seven runs per over, and hence, if the compromise in bowling attack means having nearly 8 batsmen, then why not take the advantage. It should be understood that a similar approach has been taken by various international teams with widely varied results. In 1996, the Sri Lankans used their part-time spinners to put together a world cup-winning effort whereas the West Indies have tried it many times and are still trying it with a host of players who can bowl medium pace or a bit slower but have found no success whatsoever. It is not a sure-win formula by any stretch of imagination but when the domestic scene is so completely devoid of quality bowlers with any real spin or pace to talk about, are there any good alternatives?

Is Ravinder Jadeja worth the investment?

The Indian team for the upcoming ODI Series against Sri Lanka 2009 has been announced and it seems that the selectors and Dhoni have put their faith in the all-round capabilities of Jadeja. The lef-arm spinner from Saurashtra has been in the frame for some time, and has been promoted as the solution to India's inability to find a genuine all-rounder.
However, I don't believe that he has the makings of being such an effective player unless he is tried out at the top of the batting order since he simply cannot pulverize the bowling towards the end of the innings. Yes, his bowling is pretty useful on most pitches as containing runs is the foremost parameter for bowlers these days but then it is his batting during crucial stages that has come for some criticism in the recent past. I just don't see him developing into a good finisher like Bevan, but he could be more useful at number 3-4. Then again, a problem crops-up, since India has a long list of strokemakers who want to bat up the order and there is just no way that Yuvraj Singh can be demoted in terms of being the preferred number four Indian bastman.