England v India 2014: 5 reasons why Stuart Binny deserves his spot

When Bangladesh bowled India out for 105 in the second match of the just concluded 3-match ODI series, even a remote thought of losing the match would not have crossed their minds from that point.But, as we all know by now, Indian all-rounder StuartBinny had other plans for the night. Bangladesh had to suffer a humiliating 47-run defeat as they plummeted to just 58, after being50-3 at one stage. The 29-year-old ended up with 6 wickets for just 4 runs, the best bowling figures ever by an Indian in ODIs.While the Indian selectors are being severely criticised for their move to pick Binny in the Indian Test team to tour England for a 5-match Test series starting next month, citing him as just a mere slogger and an incapable medium pacer, here are 5 reasons why I think he is worth a spot in the team.

#1 Matured and stronger than ever before

When he started his statecareeras a 19-year-old, his selection was more attributed tohis father Roger Binny, former Indian player andone of the five national selectors at present, beingan influential figure in the cricket circuit.

Though he made hisdebut in2003, it was only in 2007 during hisIndian Cricket League stint he came into the limelight.

After the rebel league sunk, following a one yearcooling period,he wasoffered an amnesty from BCCI,which he was wise enough toaccept, therebysaving his career.

The time off from cricketmotivated him to focus on his game and fitness.Mentally, he becamestronger than ever.When he returned to play domestic cricket, his hard work and struggle reaped fruits, proved by the incredible numbers that he has managed to amass in the last 4 years with his state team.

After warming the benches with Team India for about a year now,at 29, he has finally got the big breakand looks preparedmore than ever to succeed at the highest level.

#2 Suitable for English conditions

The English pitches always have something on offer for swing and seam bowlers.

Over the years, India have struggled to pick up 20 wickets in a Test match because of the over-reliance on their spinners, who can only be of limited use when the pitch plays against them.

The records show that Indian spinners have been ineffective on English soil. In the last two decades, no Indian spinner including Anil Kumble has managed to pose a real threat on the lush green pitches of England: Kumble, Harbhajan Singh and Ravichandran Ashwin all average more than 40.

In search of a medium pace all rounder, India have tried everyone from Reetinder Sodhi to Sanjay Bangar. They even tried to turn Irrfan Pathan into a batsman, which proved to be counterproductive for them.

Binny could very well be the answer.

#3 Domestic veteran

A regular since 2003-04 Ranji season for whichever domestic team he has been a part of, Binny has learnt all the trades. With 10 years of experience, 50+ first-class games, and loads of runs and wickets at the national level, he is counted amongst the most respected players in the Indian domestic circuit. Overall First Class Records:Batting:

Matches- 55, Innings- 84,Runs- 2924, Average- 36.55Hundreds- 8, Fifties- 12,High Score- 189, Strike Rate- 70.33Bowling:

Matches- 55,Innings-84, Wickets-82, Average- 31.91Economy-3.01, 5WI-3, 10WM-1, Best figures- 5/49

#4 Can bowl all day

Following his dismantling of the Bangladesh batting unit, Indian captain for the tour, Suresh Raina said:

“I never knew Binny could bowl this well. This performance will give him confidence for the upcoming England tour.”

Binny, though, has been one of the most consistent performers in the recent years for Karnataka with the ball.Let us have a look at his bowling records over last three domestic seasons. While the 2011/12 season was his best, the 2013/14 one saw his state taking home the most coveted domestic title in Indian cricket history.Bowling record over last three seasons2011/12:Matches- 8, Innings-13, Wickets-20, Average- 20.10, Economy-3.10,

Best figures- 5/49, 5WI-2, 10WM-12012/13:Matches-9, Innings-15, Wickets-19, Average-32.70, Economy-3.08,

Best figures-5/65, 5WI-12013/14:Matches-7, Innings-13, Wickets-14, Average-32.64, Economy-2.86,

Best figures-3/35

#5 Underrated batsman

If someone deems Binny as just a bowler, I would suggest him to look at his batting records once before coming to such a conclusion. If his stint with Rajasthan Royals in the 2013 edition of the IPL is not convincing enough, which saw him rescuing his franchise time and again, these records with Karnataka are a clear indication of his batting abilities. Batting records in last 3 seasons2011/12:Matches- 8, Innings-11 ,Runs- 742, Average- 67.45Hundreds- 3, Fifties- 3,High Score- 189, Strike Rate- 83.46

2012/13Matches- 9, Innings- 13,Runs- 612, Average- 47.07Hundreds- 1, Fifties- 4,High Score- 168, Strike Rate- 61.26

2013/14Matches- 7, Innings- 10, Runs-443, Average- 49.22Hundreds- 2, Fifties- 1, High Score- 122, Strike Rate- 83.11