1. Greg Chappell, the team India Coach mentioned recently that attitude of a player is the most important factor for him. Much more important than the number of runs scored and wickets taken by an individual. The attitude to fit in with the overall team objectives according to Greg is a very important factor for him.

It is here that Dinesh Mongia deserves special consideration. As he himself observes, Dinesh has always been one who has played according to agreed game plans and team objectives and has never been afraid to risk losing his wicket in team interests when easy way out would have been for him to stay unbeaten on a 40 / 50 or more!

The English county seasons have done wonders to Dinesh Mongia's abilities as a finisher of the games. Two games of last season stand out in memory. Against Somerset, boasting of Jayasuriya and Graeme Smith in it's ranks, Dinesh Mongia hammered a polished 74 before overwhelming Somerset with a bowling spell of 4/23 in the National Legue. Leicestershire, thanks to Mongia's effort, routed Somerset.

A few weeks later, chasing 196 for victory against Sussex, Leics were in all sorts of trouble tottering at 91/5! Standing upto Rana Naved Ul Hasan's pace and leggie Mushtaq Ahmed's guile, Mongia ensured that he stayed unbeaten on 92 till the end and held aloft the Champagne bottle at the end! These performances of Dinesh Mongia in the county circuit and now in Ranji Trophy season are akin to what Yuvraj Singh has been doing for India in Tests and ODIs.

2. Kiran More, the National Selection Committee Chairman, recently told reporters that the doors are always open to every cricketer, be it Ganguly, Laxman, Kumble or anyone. Bottom-line, according to Kiran More is consistent performance.

One look at Dinesh Mongia's performance of past two years and it is obvious that his doggedness, resolve, application and voluminous output are second to none. Voted Player of the Season by Lancashire in 2004, boasting of a successful full season for Leicestershire in 2005 and in form of his life for Punjab in Ranji Trophy 2005-06 and in Ranji Trophy One Dayers 2005-06, Mongia is the undoubted top performer.

3. Player to score three huge hundreds in Ranji Trophy Elite group 2005-06, with 517 runs in just 6 games at an outstanding average of 64.52 and a top score of 175*, Dinesh Mongia has stood out. It is in Ranji Trophy One Day Competition that Mongia has catapulted himself to an altogether different level. In a dog eat dog grouping of unpredictable North Zone teams, Mongia has shone like a beacon for his Punjab pack with an amazing 444 runs in 5 games, 2 huge hundreds, an astounding average of 148.0 and an incredible strike rate of 103.01!

As a bowler, Mongia has excelled and his resolve to establish himself as a batting all-rounder who bowls tight is there for all to see and acknowledge. 3/27 against Haryana, 1/31 against Delhi, 2/58 against Services and 5/44 in the do or die game against Himachal have all been top notch efforts.

If this is not performance, than what else is Mr. Kiran More?

4. Dinesh needs to be seriously considered as a batting allrounder who bowls tight and fields well. On a one on one basis, Mongia's credentials would be far stronger than one-dimensional cricketers like Gautam Gambhir, Venugopal Rao, Laxman, Kaif or Murali Kartik!

National Selectors and Indian think tank could consider positioning Dinesh Mongia as a dynamic batsman who could be positioned anywhere in the line-up, depending on the team needs. Someone like Andrew Symonds, Shoaib Malik or Scott Styris. In Dinesh and Yuvraj, India can have two excellent finishers along with players like Dravid, Sachin and Kaif to hold the innings together and with Sehwag, Dhoni and Irfan exploding around them.

5. Bowling abilities of Dinesh Mongia need to be evaluated a bit more seriously than has been the case so far. Fact is, Dinesh Mongia of 2005-06 is a vastly improved bowler, thanks to his stint in the English counties. In Twenty20, the most brutal form of the game yet, where norm is to get hit for atleast 7/8 in an over, for Lancashire Dinesh Mongia managed the incredible feat of going around 4 per over!

It seems to have escaped most that in the Challenger Trophy 2005-06, Dinesh Mongia was more economical than even Murali Kartik. In any case, ever since the ODI series against SriLanka, Murali Kartik has singularly failed to live upto the expectations and has done no justice to his reputation as a mainline bowler. Invariably, he has been hit so bad in his 6-7 overs that Captain has been forced to ask part timers to fill in for him and net yield off Indian 5th bowler has been 70-85 in 10 overs, depending on the mood of the batsmen on the day!

6. Dinesh Mongia had a very good series against Nasser Hussein's English team in 2002. Even though he was 4 years younger at that time and a pretty raw talent at that time, Dinesh averaged 42.60 and stood out with his match winning innings of 71 at Kolkata in first ODI, which was a match winning effort.

Having evolved as a batsman as well as bowler and with confidence of having done well against England before and especially in view of his current form, Dinesh Mongia merits a place in the Indian side against Vaughan's English team this season.

7. Because of last two years of successful stint in the English county circuit, Mongia has the experience of having faced many of the England's cricketers and has the confidence of having done well against them and that too in English conditions.

While he shared the dressing room with Andrew Flintoff, James Anderson, Dominic Cork, Stuart Law and Carl Hooper for Lancashire, Mongia has been doing well against various county attacks boasting of leading bowlers from around the world. Having done well in seaming, swinging English conditions, Mongia would back himself to do well against England, a side against whom he has done well in the past.

8. Dinesh Mongia is a total team man with a never say die attitude and a completely selfless approach to the game on hand. Be his top score of 159 against Zimbabwe in series clinching fifth ODI at Guwahati, Match Winning knock of 74 against West Indies in West Indies that helped India win it's maiden series win in WI or his performances against Nasser Hussein's England team or his belligerent 35 ball fifty against South Africa in Bangladesh in Singer Cup, Mongia has always displayed an attitude of playing team interests above self's.

Selectors should keep in mind all achievements of Mongia in the last couple of years and should seriously consider that he is a much more mature and evolved player now than he was 3-4 years ago. Wise men headed by Kiran More need to consider him against England.

9. India is badly in need of one player who can bowl 7-10 reasonably tight overs and than hit 30-40 quick runs / consolidate depending on the situation. Dinesh Mongia fits the need more than anyone else. Romesh Powar is a good prospect but no where near Mongia in terms of batting abilities and bowling output wise. One cannot disagree the fact that Mongia would not be less than Powar / Murali Kartik, just forget Sehwag, Yuvraj etc, who don't come anywhere near in terms of ability of Mongia now.

10. And, lastly, Dinesh Mongia is a very astute reader of the game and a proven leader. As Captain of North Zone and Punjab, time and again Mongia has displayed his leadership qualities, understanding of the nuances of the game and has always commanded total respect from his players because of his attitude and backing of his team mates. Rahul Dravid can only benefit by having such an intelligent and dedicated cricketer by his side and one who can always be relied for street smart tactics and strategic intelligence.