The ill-advised have been saying that skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni is on trial and the team’s performance here will determine his future as helmsman. Of course, he did not seem to be his usual self in the ICC World Twenty20 in the West Indies but that should not take away from the fact that he has been one of the most remarkable Indian captains.

For all that, the selectors must give the skipper the squad that he deserves. While the wise men may empower him with the best XI nearly always, I am not sure they spend any time thinking about the kind of reserves who should be making up the rest of the squad. For when you speak of balance, it is not just about finding the right combination in the playing XI but also in the kind of reserves available.

We will get a good idea when we look at what happened in Zimbabwe where India had to play Naman Ojha as an opening batsman in its final game of the triseries because Murali Vijay was so out of depth in the earlier games. Now, Naman Ojha was chosen more as second wicket-keeper than a reserve specialist opener. The team management had to perforce include him in the XI because it has no option once it decided to leave Vijay to warm the benches.

I am hoping that India does not face a similar situation in the Asia Cup. If you are wondering why, you just have to look at the 11 that India is likely to field in the first game: Sehwag, Gambhir, Kohli, Rohit, Raina, Dhoni, Jadeja, Harbhajan, Praveen, Zaheer and Nehra. The four who may sit out are Tiwary, Dinda, Ojha and Ashwin.

Does it make sense to have just one specialist batsman and three bowlers, including two spinners, among the reserves? Tamil Nadu off-spinner R Ashwin did play well on debut in India’s last match in the Zimbabwe triseries but the selectors did not really need include him in the squad for Sri Lanka. It is not as if he is going to push Harbhajan Singh for a place in the XI.

So, instead of arming the captain with better options, the selectors may have only hamstrung him a fair bit.

There is one more thought that the recent selections have sparked in my mind: It is time to stop pretending that IPL should be seen as a stepping stone to the Indian one-day international team. A series of lusty blows or a few good overs in IPL games should not be misconstrued as ability to do well in the longer version of the game as well.  Even if cricket is simply a contest between bat and ball, each format calls upon different temperaments and that is something that the selectors must keep in mind when picking Indian teams.

You will hear a cacophony if the team does not live up to expectations – and as a nation, even if we do not usually excel in everything we do, we expect the cricketers to deliver only victories and not fall short. And at that time, with the whole focus on Dhoni and not the selectors, everyone will display a herd mentality and bay for blood. The good thing is: This time around, the cacophony will be drowned by the magical notes flowing from the football carnival in the rainbow nation.

Two close contests in the T20 format and two successive defeats for Team India at the start of its tour of New Zealand. Yet, unlike many others, I don’t believe the team’s morale will have taken a body blow as it heads into the five match one-day international series against the Black Caps.

Of course, India’s strokeplayers – up against a steady and resilient bowling attack, led by the crafty Daniel Vettori – let the team down in both games. If they learnt any lessons from the seven-wicket loss in Christchurch, it was not in great evidence in Wellington on Friday.

Then again, there are positives that the team can take into the one-day series. The most important thing is that Team India has had a good look at the Black Caps – something that had not happened since September 2005 when the sides played the final of a trination event in Harare. The ICC World T20 in 2007 clash was the only meeting since then.

Virender Sehwag got off to flying starts in both games while Suresh Raina, in the first game, and Yuvraj Singh on Friday picked up half-centuries that will instill confidence in the ranks. Admittedly, the batsmen will have to do a great deal better in the five ODIs if they are to sustain the development of Team India as a competitive unit.

India’s experienced bowlers, paceman Zaheer Khan and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh how found a rhythm that augurs well for the side but yes, there is work to be done as far Zaheer’s bowling partners are concerned. Ishant Sharma and Irfan Pathan came up a bit short of expectations in the T20s and will have to adapt sooner than later.

There has been a marked reluctance to use Virender Sehwag as a support off-spinner to Harbhajan Singh. I believed that he would have bowled as well as Harbhajan Singh and the rookie left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja. I wonder why Dhoni has kept Sehwag’s bowling under the wraps.

Here’s how the team stacked up in the two T20 games.

Gautam Gambhir: His twin failures should help him learn to wait to assess bounce and movement before playing his strokes. There is no doubt that he has it in him to succeed in the ODIs.

Virender Sehwag: Will need to stretch his good starts into long innings and not gift his wicket away. It is clear that the Black Caps are bowling to a plan, feeding off his strengths.

Suresh Raina: After playing a mature hand in the opening game when he made an unbeaten half-century, the left-hander made things difficult for his team by throwing his wicket in the second match. Will have to be consistent in his approach and performance.

Yuvraj Singh: Has appeared to win a battle with New Zealand captain and left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori when he struck him for two sixes in Wellington after being dismissed second ball in the first match. Can be a big factor in the ODIs.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni: Has yet to find his timing with the bat, though he made an unbeaten 28 in Wellington. As someone who has shown a remarkable ability to adapt to the situation, he was unable to provide the thrust in the second game.

Rohit Sharma: Will have only himself to blame for losing his place in the XI for the second game after playing an ambitious stroke in Christchurch

Ravindra Jadeja: Did his bit with the bat in the second game when he replaced Rohit Sharma in the XI and was more than a handy left-arm spin bowler as he helped Harbhajan Singh bring India back into the game. Sadly for him, he will return home.

Yusuf Pathan: Despite being foxed by Daniel Vettori in the second T20 contest, he will remain an important finisher in the ODIs but he will have to find the balance between unbridled attack and defence

Irfan Pathan: His inability to generate noticeable swing with the new ball in the second T20 game will be a matter of concern, even if he claimed two wickets off successive balls to infuse life into India’s campaign and make the match exciting.

Harbhajan Singh: Few will believe that the off-spinner is coming off an injury that kept him out of the one-day series in Sri Lanka. He has shown mastery over his craft, tying the Black Caps’ batsmen down in both games. And can be a huge factor in the ODIs.

Zaheer Khan: Has shown that he is an eager and thinking leader of the bowling back and a willingness to give up the honour of bowling the first over to Irfan Pathan in a bit to ensure that the fellow left-arm swing bowler could find his rhthym.

Ishant Sharma: Had a memorable start, picking up Jesse Ryder’s wicket with his first delivery in New Zealand but has done little justice to his talent after his appeal for leg before wicket off the next ball – against Martin Guptill – was turned down in Christchurch. He will have to hit the right length to be effective in New Zealand.