If the Indian Test cricket team were handled as an IPL franchise, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli would have still been a part of it. But the top brass of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel need to be commended for looking beyond the immediate future as the next World Test Championship (WTC) cycle commences.
It helps that the only currencies that operate in the case of the national team are runs, wickets and results on the field, unlike in franchise cricket where judgment may get clouded by cheering fans, sponsors and cheerleading broadcasters. A team may be stuck to the bottom of the points table, but an ageing and underperforming superstar will still be hailed and serenaded as he comes out to bat for his customary handful of deliveries.
India’s next Test assignment is in England, who no longer have the legendary pairing of James Anderson and Stuart Broad to call upon. Speedster Mark Wood has, more or less, been ruled out after surgery on his left knee, while the fitness and effectiveness of Jofra Archer is uncertain, while Brydon Carse is only just making a comeback in County cricket after injuring his toe during the ICC Champions Trophy in February. It’s possible that, if selected, Rohit and Virat would have been among the runs against a mediocre attack on pitches likely to be batter-friendly.
But events in Australia at the turn of the year and at home against New Zealand would have provided a sobering light, and the decision-makers – and the two veterans themselves – would have come to the conclusion about what is best for India in the medium and long term.
The absence of Rohit and Virat will leave a big void in the team in terms of experience – especially after another centurion in terms of the number of Test played, Ravichandran Ashwin, walked away in the middle of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy late last year. But the only way for the next generation to gain experience is playing top-level Test cricket, and throwing them at the deep end may just expedite the process.
The incumbents
However, the team will not totally be devoid of knowhow. KL Rahul has been around for more than a decade and though his overall average – less than 34 after 58 Tests – points to a promise unfulfilled, he has played some of his best knocks overseas and has the ability to open the innings as well as bat in the middle order. May be, being the senior-most specialist batter in the side will help his career take the next big step.
Shubman Gill has always been earmarked for great things. An average of 35 after 32 games, with five hundreds, could well be an appetizer. He has also opened the innings but of late, found a place at the crucial No.3 spot. The 25-year-old from Punjab has all the shots in the book and is pleasing on the eye. He can dominate any bowling attack. The decision-makers will hope that added responsibility will help his game blossom even further.
Yashasvi Jaiswal has had an enviable start to his Test career. An average of almost 53 in 19 matches with four tons suggests he could be a genuine star of the world game. Being a left-handed opener gives him an opportunity to set the tempo for his team from the start of an innings.
These three players were already in the mix when Virat and Rohit were around. The two slots vacated would essentially provide openings for two batsmen.
Karun Nair is member of a very exclusive club – that of triple centurions in Tests. Though his other six innings brought a grand total of 71 runs, the 33-year-old has been in sublime form in domestic cricket and his performances have demanded that he gets a second chance.
B Sai Sudharsan doesn’t have a mountain of runs to back him, but the grace, technique and poise he has shown whenever on show in a high-profile contest make him an exciting prospect in the top order.
Sarfaraz Khan was part of the Test team last year and even scored a swashbuckling 150 against New Zealand in Bengaluru. But how he will perform in pace-friendly conditions remains to be seen.
Nitish Kumar Reddy was one of the few bright spots of the last Australian tour and his against-the-odds hundred in Melbourne had everyone impressed. Throughout that series, he was left to bat with the tail and often fell in the search of quick runs while running out of partners, otherwise the tally of 298 runs at 37.25 from the five Tests could well have been higher.
Decision time
Abhimanyu Easwaran has been on the fringes of the playing XI for a long time without ever playing for the senior national side. He is approaching 30, and the selectors need to take a call on whether they see him as an option when spots have opened up.
The prowess of India’s first-choice pace-bowling attack – comprising Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj – is not in doubt, but their ability to play all five Tests of a series is. In such a scenario, the team needs other fast bowlers to step up, not just as alternatives, but also as support to keep runs down while the one or more of the lead trio hunt for wickets.
Harshit Rana started the Australia series well, but his effectiveness in subsequent spells waned. Prasidh Krishna is an exciting prospect – armed with bounce, pace, accuracy and a bagful of tricks, but gets injured too often.
The likes of Akash Deep, Anshul Kamboj and Khaleel Ahmed are outside bets for pace-bowling slots, while Shardul Thakur has performed a job in England before.
With Ashwin’s retirement, there’s a gaping hole in India’s spin attack, even though that may need addressing only in the lead-up to a home series. Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav are the first-choice tweakers, and they may be all that is required in England. But left-arm orthodox spinner Manav Suthar and off-break bowler Tanush Kotian are part of the ‘A’ series in the lead-up to the main Test tour, where the auditions for places in the senior side are likely to take place.
With the size of the country and the passion for the game, India is unlikely to be ever short of cricketing talent. The trick lies in spotting it and giving opportunities at the right moment. As old stars leave the stage, new ones will emerge from their shadows.