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After defeating Australia at its home and the massive pay-outs of the Indian Premier  auction it is a return back to earth for India’s cricketers, who have to mentally prepare themselves for a near one-month grind of Test cricket against South Africa in the heat of a home summer.

Colored clothes or dancing girls, felicitations or handing out cheques are yet to come. But just who are the men who will be charged with carrying out this task? All things being equal, picking the squad would not be a tough ask. But all things are not equal at the moment. On Saturday, at the behest of Dilip Vengsarkar,  chairman of the selection committee, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh and Ishant Sharma were asked to report at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore on Sunday, to undergo a fitness test, ahead of the selection meeting.

But on Sunday only Ishant turned up in Bangalore and spent 30 minutes indoors. A report on his fitness will be delivered to the BCCI. The Punjab duo had informed the team management and the board secretary on Saturday that they were fully fit, and were not to go to Bangalore for the fitness test. However, late on Sunday evening, the BCCI convinced the two to report to Bangalore, and they were scheduled to reach Bangalore early on Monday to prove their fitness.

The late decision to go to Bangalore and prove fitness rather than simply give an assurance to the board verbally could be a prudent move by Yuvraj and Harbhajan. Only recently the Board of Control for Cricket in India set a precedent as far as recording fitness levels in the NCA are concerned.

The BCCI made Anil Kumble, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman travel to the NCA to record their fitness levels with Paul Chapman and Paul Close, and they did so without protest. Although these four did not figure in the CB Series, they were not left out for fitness reasons, all enjoyed success in the Test series that preceded the one-dayers. 
But even if fitness is proved, Harbhajan’s selection may not be something he can take for granted. At least two selectors were not particularly enamored with his efforts in Test cricket in recent times. “You go and check his record and then call me” One selector shot back, when asked if Harbhajan was a certainty; if he was fit.

The numbers are embarrassing. In 2006 he picked 19 wickets from 7 Tests at 52.78; in 2007 he had 13 wickets from 4 Tests at 46.38; this year two Tests have yielded 5 wickets at 65.60. He might well be doing a good job tying one end down, but the selector asked, “What about the job he is picked for? That is taking wickets.” That Harbhajan was tying down one end and allowing the bowlers at the other end to pick wickets did not cut ice with the selectors.

The irony is that the actual selection of the team should not be such a difficult task, with the batting being pretty set and bowlers around the Country doing well. The Only thing that needs to be cleared is fitness, and this looks all set to happen on Monday morning. Then the selectors will need only a few minutes when they sit down in Bangalore to pick the squad.