India vs Australia, Border Gavaskar Trophy: After easily succumbing in the Border-Gavaskar series, the performance of Indian batsmen is under question but if we look at the list of alternate players, it becomes clear that the situation of bowling is more worrying for the future of the team than batting. After poor performance with the bat, the Test future of Indian captain Rohit Sharma and veteran Virat Kohli is hanging in the balance. The National Selection Committee has some good options to replace these two.
When it comes to bowling and especially fast bowling, the situation of the team which is going through a phase of change is not looking very encouraging. It may take a lot of time for the team to prepare bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma.
The current bowlers are trying their best but their performance is nowhere close to these three names. During the Australia tour, Bumrah did not get support from the other end due to which his workload increased significantly. He could not bowl in the second innings of the decisive fifth Test for the team due to a back injury.
Even after playing 36 Tests, Mohammad Siraj has not been able to become the bowler who can change the course of the match. Prasidh Krishna has good pace but he consistently fails to bowl the right line-length. Akash Deep and Mukesh Kumar have the skill but they have not yet got enough opportunities to prove themselves at the top level of the game.
Even if we look at the Ranji circuit, the selectors lack good options in this matter. The biggest problem is that of the left arm fast bowler. Arshdeep Singh has proved himself in limited overs but has not been that effective with the red ball. Yash Dayal and Khalil Ahmed have also failed to deliver convincing performances.
When it comes to batting, there are some good options. However, the selection committee led by Ajit Agarkar will not decide anything till the end of the Ranji Trophy season. If the selection committee decides to drop Rohit and Kohli from the team or both announce their retirement, then at least six batsmen are ready to claim for these two places in the team.
The most prominent contender in this could be B Sai Sudarshan of Tamil Nadu. The artistic left-handed batsman impressed while playing for India A against Australia A in Mackay. However, he is undergoing rehabilitation due to sports hernia operation. Another left-handed option in the team is Devdutt Padikkal.
Padikkal also has experience of playing some test matches. Abhimanyu Easwaran has been in the team for three years, but there is a feeling in the Indian cricket world that he is not ready for big challenges in the SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia) countries. The proof of this is that despite being with the team in the recent series, his claim for the playing eleven during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy was never considered strong.
Sarfaraz Khan’s weakness against fast bowlers is well known. The way he was out in Pune and Mumbai in the home Test against New Zealand has increased the concerns of the current team management. The three names who are the biggest contenders for a place in the Test team include Chennai Super Kings captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rajat Patidar, who has three Test experience, and Mumbai’s Shreyas Iyer.
Iyer’s problem has been the short ball, while Patidar failed to take advantage of his chances against England at home last year. Gaikwad failed in India A’s two matches against Australia A but his talent cannot be questioned.
It is understood that instead of focusing only on the number of runs or wickets, the selection committee will also focus on impressive performance. A century on the grassy pitch of Lahli or taking five wickets on a flat pitch of Rajkot will be more important than a performance in favorable conditions. Any decision on the national Test team, however, will be taken before the end of the domestic season in February or the tour of England in June. The Indian team has to play its next test in England in June.
