Pathan poses a dilemma

It's been exactly a year and a day since Rahul Dravid was, once and for all, appointed India's one-day captain. It wasn't the easiest of times to take on the mantle of leadership and the side were about to start a testing season. Over the next six months, they won handsomely when expected to be rolled over, fought gallantly when nobody gave them a chance. Soon they did the reverse - stuttering when presented with a golden chance to win in the Caribbean, and surrendering a chance to upstage Australia, after doing most things right.

One year later, on the eve of their opening game of the Champions Trophy, they stand pretty much where they were. The batting order needs re-jigging, especially after their repeated recent failures, and their bowling, though largely more impressive than the batting, has serious concerns. The team isn't settled, not by a long way. It's not the most auspicious manner to start an important tournament; and it's good that they've experienced this feeling before.

It's unfair to blame one man for all of India's worries but Irfan Pathan's loss of bowling form has hurt, big time. Throughout last season, when he averaged 35 with the bat and 20.5 with the ball, he was the team's engine. Promote him up the order, he delivered; entrust him with the new ball, he delivered; bring him on in the middle overs, he delivered. India don't have a replacement for Pathan at the moment and lack of a medium-pace allrounder remains a handicap.

"We'll pick what we think is our best combination," said Dravid ahead of the clash against England. "But two spinners have done well for us against England in the past. That will be something that will come under serious consideration." And there were further hints: "I think the biggest challenge England have to deal with is how they play our spinners, how they play in these conditions, how they adapt and adjust themselves to the wicket."

In case they chose to play both Harbhajan Singh and Ramesh Powar - to partner Munaf Patel and Ajit Agarkar, both of whom have been in good form - then Pathan might miss the cut. Even if only one spinner is picked, there's Rudra Pratap Singh who might be preferred for his left-arm seam, considering the surprising lift he gets off the wicket. The choice will boil down to whether the team want to pick Pathan for his batting ability - to his credit, he's been doing better than a few specialist batsmen - and risk his bowling. It's not the best headache to have; but form is such a fickle thing that it may well not be a headache tomorrow.

The Pathan decision will also impact the batting. Dinesh Mongia's pretty much sealed his berth with a half-century, and handy left-arm spin, in the final game at Kuala Lumpur and Mahendra Singh Dhoni returns to the ground where he made a stunning 183, against Sri Lanka. That leaves two out of Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif and Suresh Raina. The first two have the experience, the last hasn't been in form. Take your pick.

The relaid pitch, being used for the first time, may come with its own mysteries. England's plans - including the option of Andrew Flintoff opening also need to be factored in. "Flintoff could provide exciting possibilities up the order," Dravid assessed, "but we could also get him out early and could pressure on the middle order as well. It will be interesting to see who England open with, I'm sure they're going to try out some combinations and look to see what works best for them. We'll be prepared whoever opens."

So India have problems, plenty of them. But hang on a minute. They're playing at home, conditions where they've won 13 off their last 17 games. These are the very tracks where their batsmen thrive, where their bowlers revel amid rumbling chaos. Just in case they start well, don't take your eyes off them. There are few teams that utilise home advantage so effectively. And a winning cricket team, in India at least, doesn't have too many problems.