TASK MASTER
He can bat with authority. He can bowl with penetration. So what? A million others do the same. It's the voices though that tell you Reetinder Sodhi's different.

The first is Punjab captain and former Test opener Vikram Rathore's: "I think he's the best prospect in the country at present." The second is his own: "I have been expecting my name to be included (in the Indian squad). It's only a matter of time." If sport is about talent and confidence, then Sodhi is ready.

They say, as a kid, he used to make his father, former Ranji player Mahesh Inder Singh, bowl to him in the driveway till everyone had gone to sleep. So when he led India to a stunning victory over Pakistan in the 1996 Junior World Cup final, dad wasn't surprised. Juniors though often stagnate, but he didn't. With a 200 versus Delhi in the Ranji Trophy, a quick 62 for India 'A' against West Indies 'A', an invitation from Kapil Dev to bowl to the Indian team at the nets in Mohali recently was always coming.

So, will he make it? Says Rathore: "I haven't seen anyone else work so hard." These days that's enough to warrant selection.