India will look back with satisfaction at a job well done

It is symbolic of the manic schedule for India’s cricketers right now that a day after winning the two-Test series against the West Indies at home, they have embarked on a white-ball tour of Australia comprising three ODIs and five T20Is.

Shubman Gill, who has just claimed his maiden Test series win as skipper, will be in charge of the ODI team for the first time when India plays Australia in Perth on October 19. Amid this hectic calendar, there may be very little time to pause and reflect, especially when the attention has to swiftly shift to the shorter formats.

But before Gill and coach Gautam Gambhir look ahead, they should look back with satisfaction at a job well done against West Indies. Sure, Roston Chase’s men may not have made for the strongest opposition, but it is pertinent to remember that this Indian team is still in a phase of transition. The opening Test in Ahmedabad, in fact, was India’s first at home since 2011 without either Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma or R. Ashwin in action. In the circumstances, it was fitting that Ravindra Jadeja, now the longest-serving member of the Test team, finished as the Player-of-the-Series for his all-round contribution. Kuldeep Yadav, meanwhile, stated his case with eight scalps in the second Test.

But with India’s objective from this series revolving around how the younger players fare ahead of next month’s two Tests against South Africa, it was particularly B. Sai Sudharsan and Nitish Kumar that were watched with keen interest. When the left-hand batter from Tamil Nadu faltered in Ahmedabad, there was bound to be pressure. But he gave a better account of himself in the national capital by contributing 87 and 39. It should be enough for Sai Sudharsan to take guard at No. 3 when South Africa visits.

Nitish’s case is more curious. Having been picked for both Tests, he played a bit-part role at best. The 22-year-old delivered just four wicketless overs in the opener, and then scored 43 at No. 5 in the second Test. In the post-match press conference on Tuesday, Gambhir was clear that the team management will be patient with the all-rounder.

“For me, it is not important how many overs he bowled. It is important that he is gaining experience. Sometimes, you learn a lot just by playing a game.

“It is important to groom someone like Nitish because you know that there are not many seam bowling all-rounders. So, whenever we get that opportunity, we will keep grooming him,” he said.