India’s qualification for the World Test Championship final in June next year is hanging in balance and even if they make the grade for the third consecutive time, it will be a massive surprise if skipper Rohit Sharma stays available for the next two-year WTC cycle. Ditto for Ravichandran Ashwin, who will be 41 by then. Ravindra Jadeja and Virat Kohli, the two supremely fit men, will be 39. The embarrassing Test series defeat at home against New Zealand has already triggered a debate around the effectiveness of a few seniors. Ravi Shastri could only empathize with Gambhir. “New Zealand have beaten them (India) handsomely in both the Test matches. It’s food for thought (on series loss). He (Gambhir) has just taken over the job. It’s never easy being coach of a team that has such a big following,” Shastri said while commentating during the second Test in Pune.
“It’s still early days in his career as a coach. But he’ll soon learn.” There is no doubt India are looking at a tough transition.
As many as four world-class match-winners are expected to bid adieu to the game one by one in the next couple of years and Gautam Gambhir is in an unenviable position as head coach.
There are multiple options available in batting but India may struggle to find good bowlers.
Mohammed Shami, even if he comes back, is at the end of his glorious 10-year-run for India and both Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj are more than decent bowlers even as they do not have the menacing effect of Shami when Bumrah is operating from other end.
The real problem is the next-in-line bowlers. There’s Avesh Khan and Khaleel Ahmed, who are quick bowlers but consistency and fitness has been their problem.
Navdeep Saini’s pace has dropped and his best years are behind him. Umran Malik has already lost his way and Mukesh Kumar, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Vidwath Kaverappa don’t have that kind of pace that can put doubts in batters’ minds.
Bumrah is a gift of God and Shami a freak talent and unless someone like Mayank Yadav becomes fit and consistently available for longer version, the cupboard is actually bare.
The other area that could be a big concern is seam bowling all-rounder unless Hardik Pandya, who is 30 now, has an apparent change of heart.
Nitish Reddy is a work in progress. People in the know of things admitted that he is in the team because of ‘TINA’ factor (There Is No Alternative) in this team.
The willow wielders are in a better place though.
With Yashasvi Jaiswal making one of the opener’s slot his own, once Rohit is out of the Test scene, there are three candidates — two right handers Abhimanyu Easwaran, Ruturaj Gaikwad — and southpaw B Sai Sudharsan.
Easwaran has the most prolific record with 27 first-class hundreds, an average of nearly 50 in 99 red-ball games with four centuries in the last four games which prompted his selection as reserve opener for the series.
Easwaran is more of a grafter in the Cheteshwar Pujara mould but he has been in the Indian team’s periphery for at least five years now.
There is a perception about Easwaran that he never scores in big games and pressure situations. Two Ranji trophy finals, three semi-finals and three quarter-finals without a half-century doesn’t speak highly about his temperament.
A case in point is the only game that he failed in five domestic red ball matches this season was the Duleep Trophy opener where the opposition bowling attack had Avesh Khan, Akash Deep and Khaleel Ahmed, easily the best combination in the tournament.
Gaikwad is a terrific white-ball cricketer but only seven first-class hundreds in 35 games isn’t what Test team would be looking at although his aggressive game might at times work in specific conditions.
This brings us to B Sai Sudharsan, the left-hander from Tamil Nadu, who has a good technique, sound temperament and an appetite for big runs. He recently played for the County team Surrey. He can bat as an opener and also at number three.
The next slot is the most envious one — Virat Kohli’s. Devdutt Padikkal, who scored a fine half-century on Test debut and is one of the most stylish batters going around, is an exciting option.
Rishabh Pant is like MS Dhoni, there is very little chance any keeper-batter can come near him in next 10 years.
Sarfaraz Khan has started brilliantly in the five Tests so far but whether he is that ideal all-conditions No. 6 in the line-up will be known in Australia. Axar Patel is a terrific bowler for under-prepared surfaces and can also be a handy batter like Jadeja but his bowling could be exposed on surfaces that do not offer help. Jadeja could play as a pure batter in SENA countries but one can’t be so sure about Axar.
Washington Sundar overshadowed someone like Ravichandran Ashwin in Pune with 11 wickets and is a very handy batter as 2021 Brisbane showed. Going forward in the post Ashwin-Jadeja era, Washington could be the single spin-all-rounder.
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