The Indian Team for the World Cup has to include the Great Sardar, Navjot Singh Sidhu, arguably, one of the better openers to serve India since Gavaskar. Sidhu's averages in Test Cricket and One-Day Matches are eloquent testimony to his good batting. It is debatable whether his test record is without its blemishes, but then every cricketer has had his share of ups and downs. While Sidhu's match fitness has surfaced from time to time as an issue, he has bounced back with a resounding performance each time. Folks remember his barrage of sixes during the Reliance Cup 1987 which earned him the title 'Sixer Sidhu' up from the 'strokeless wonder' he began with.

Even his biggest critics will emphatically agree that Sidhu has never been short on tenacity and determination. Two of his innings that stand out are, one, his double century at West Indies a couple of years back, and, two, his scintillating 89 against Pakistan in the 1996 World Cup, an innings that held the Indian batting together and laid the foundation for a memorable victory. Ever the gritty sportsman, Sidhu took it upon himself to improve his fielding and has since done admirable duty for India at the thirdman and long-on/long-off positions, an area which calls for a good arm and good positioning. He is no longer the 'embarassment' in the field, having won a Best Fielder award in Bangladesh. When there is talk of commitment and giving 100 percent on the field, then, Sidhu is always ready to give his best.

With the emergence of Ramesh recently, India have found a reliable opener for the World Cup. It would do justice to the Batting lineup to include Sidhu, either as an opener, or, a spin-hitter later in the order. Yes, Sidhu's skills against spinners are an ultimate delight to the fans. In the 1993 Home Series against England, Sidhu hammered Salisbury and company in pre-Test matches and fooled the England selectors into going away from spinners and with seamers, a move which India exploited well by employing the spin trio of Kumble, Raju and Chauhan which destroyed England and paved the path for the 3-0 drubbing of England.

There is nothing to suggest that age has in any way caught up with him yet, and, as long as those gritty steely eyes give that unblinking stare to the bowlers, we know that this great son of Indian Cricket is still raring to go.

What better gift could the Indian Cricket Board give the Indian Cricket crazy public other than reinstating this player for the World Cup 1999 - thereby also giving him the chance to redeem himself before skeptics and his team-mates.. of course, the reference is to his walking out of the England tour in 1996.

The selectors will be able to pat themselves on the back for this decision, which is not only just but also a good way of showing confidence in a cricketer who does not let failures come in his way and is determined to give it his best shot given the chance and the opportunity.