Brett Lee for India?

The one player that I would like to include in the Indian test team would be Brett Lee. From the Indian team's perspective, they have a good batting lineup which has no room for anyone else to be added. Who would think about replacing the Famous Four (Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Sourav Ganguly), considering their recent exploits? Virender Sehwag's return to form augurs well for the Indian team - his omission has acted like a tonic that gave the determination for the player to comeback in grand style.

The bowling attack looks good on paper, with many bowlers coming up through the last two years - especially ones like Ishant Sharma, RP Singh, Zaheer Khan, Sreesanth. But, where Brett Lee would add value is both in terms of providing the additional pace and experience. Zaheer has the tendency to break down frequently - what this does is to expose the bowling. The others have hardly played ten test matches at a stretch.

Brett Lee has learnt the tricks of the trade by playing alongside the legends of Australia like Glenn Mcgrath and Shane Warne. He has borne the burden of leading the bowling in the last year very well. He has introduced the varieties in his bowling and nobody can blame him to be the one who is uni-dimensional. He is a thinking bowler, who can be relied to break partnerships also. He can guide and mentor the youngsters in the team in the way he was moulded by the legendary Mcgrath. He has the experience of bowling on different types of wickets and this will hold him in good stead, while playing for his 'adopted' country.

A player like him would be the tonic required for India to become the leaders in test cricket. The sight of Lee and Ishant Sharma would be a deadly combination for any test nation. Pity this combo was not picked in the ongoing IPL series. His batting is very handy and he can be counted on, to shore the lower order. Overall, he would be an asset to any test-playing nation, more so the Indians at present.