Almost all the Indian bowlers go for runs in ODI conditions, so Pathan is hardly behind the pace. He can get new ball wickets, but so can RP Singh for example, who seems to have a good 10 kph on him, so Pathan's batting ability is obviously important leverage. He was probably unlikely to hang around forever as an exclusive swing bowler, so change was inevitable for Pathan. The only problem therein is that while the swing has taken a back seat, he hasn't really augmented it with extra weapons. However, he's probably only a slower ball away from improved results.
Ishant Sharma is definitely one worth sticking with and all the while, you can't forget Zaheer Khan. RP Singh and Sreesanth both do the job, but they leave the door wide open. You can scarcely make the argument that any of the pace bowlers are specialists on flat pitches.
I wouldn't drop Sehwag. He's averaging in the mid 40s both on form and in partnerships with Gambhir. They make a good team. The whole is always greater than the sum of its parts, so it would be a mistake to split it.
You can still have Tendulkar in a middle order and the way he plays these days is less extravagant than in the late 90s anyway. He's still conducive to the sort of current demands on middle order batsmen in ODIs.
Yuvraj Singh is probably one I'd argue is on thin ice. He plays a popular innings when on song, but he seems very questionable on faster pitches and perhaps also against good spin bowling. If India are to recognise their growing talent pool, then they need to make hard decisions like this. Ideally, India want a more universally formidable player. I definitely wouldn't play him higher than 5th in the order, that ensures that his role is set, rather than having him play a patient game, which he doesn't do very well.
Still, dropping Yuvraj would make for an extra question to answer, where it is better to have as few as possible. The one major question is the sixth batsman, where preference has been given to a young man. India have tried the likes of Uthappa and Sharma, who have so far not managed to stake a claim. I think Suresh Raina warrants further interest, he was moderately convincing in his earlier internationals, but has continued to develop, seeming consistent across all forms of cricket and quite capable of getting runs in his recent stint for the Asia Cup. Although his hundreds have only been against Hong Kong and Bangladesh, he was prominent against Pakistan and Sri Lanka and really, that's not to say that the hundred against Bangladesh was unwarranted in the wake of a forgettable bowling effort.
They've obviously got to look at other players like Badrinath and Tiwary, but all in good time. It would be much better if when their time comes they are given every opportunity. If they have to force their point with sporadic games here and there, it will hurt their chances of proving any consistency.
)
) but has many holes in his batting that can be figured out by quality bowlers.
