As Sandeep Patil and his co-selectors of the Indian cricket team sat down for what might have been their last meeting – a new selection committee will be appointed shortly – there was a strange expectation from a section of the media, and even fans. Gautam Gambhir’s name somehow popped up in contention. It belied the very principle this selection committee has worked on, since Patil took charge as chief selector in September 2012.
Change has been their one mantra, as the Indian team went through a transitional phase. It is not to say that they were quick about it, or even thoughtless. No, this transformation came through a patient and calculated approach, never mind the losses in the interim. The 2-1 defeat to England at home was a big disappointment, and they took up the rebuilding job with MS Dhoni still in place as captain.
Perhaps the biggest achievement for Patil and his colleagues was overseeing a smooth retirement for Sachin Tendulkar. There are still rumours that the legendary batsman was coaxed into leaving the ODI scene, and yet the selectors got it right, for it is a fact that Tendulkar didn’t see himself playing the 2015 ODI World Cup. They allowed him the courtesy of leaving the Test arena on his own terms, though, whilst ensuing that there would be no gaping hole in the middle order, as they prepped Virat Kohli to take up that challenge.
With a long overseas cycle thereafter, it was a tough ask to get this young line-up accustomed to the rigours of international cricket. But the comfort displayed in India’s last two overseas wins in Sri Lanka and West Indies indicates that this long-term vision and process has borne fruit. That they were able to quickly select a 15-man rounded squad for the three Test series against New Zealand was testament to how well these selectors have managed Indian cricket’s resources in their four years.
Who'll open? Not Gambhir
At present, the team management is finding it tough to juggle between its three openers – Dhawan, Vijay and Rahul – and it was obvious that Gambhir wouldn’t get a look-in. There is a school of thought that Dhawan has been afforded too many chances and the returns haven’t added up. Even so, let it be said here that the team management is happy with his performances in West Indies, and a score of 84 in the first Test in Antigua helped him get ahead of Vijay for the third Test in St Lucia, which is some feat for the left-hander.
Does it mean that Gambhir’s national aspirations are over for good? It would be a big call to say yes, but despite a long home schedule, it is tough to see him break past the incumbents. Even if there are freak injuries to two openers, Pujara is a makeshift choice and there is always the possibility of playing five bowlers and shifting around the batting order. The bottomline is that the selectors have left behind a progressive squad for their successors, and a pool of young talent to choose from, thus limiting the need for Indian cricket to look back at Gambhir or anyone else.
A place for Mr Sharma
Patil and his colleagues only leave behind one topic of debate – Rohit Sharma. It was the only possible question mark over this team selection, and while it was tough to expect him to be dropped for the very first Test of this home season, the explanation given was a repetitive one.
Said Patil, “Rohit is a fabulous player, immense talent he has got. But he hasn’t got a longer run in Tests. What we have seen is that he has been picked for one Test and then rested and then again picked. So everybody feels that whoever gets picked will be given a fair amount of chances.”
There is another player in this current squad who has been afforded a near-similar break. KL Rahul, as the third opener, has sat out for a long time, waiting for one of the two senior openers to fall sick, get injured or be dropped. Every time he has got that chance, he has made it count, be it in Australia, Sri Lanka or West Indies. If a 24-year-old can overcome these long gaps in play, why can’t a more experienced 29-year-old batsman do the same?
Again, it points to basic temperament, and it is now starting to haunt Sharma and his performances. Given that India opted for seven batsmen in the Trinidad Test, it is obvious that he will get his chances as soon as the home season gets underway. But will he be able to keep players like Shreyas Iyer, Karun Nair and Manish Pandey waiting in the wings? Patil’s bunch of merry men have tried and failed, and now a fourth successive selection committee (since 2007) will try to figure out Sharma’s true standing in Indian cricket.
The India squad
- Virat Kohli (captain)
- Shikhar Dhawan
- Murali Vijay
- KL Rahul
- Cheteshwar Pujara
- Ajinkya Rahane
- Rohit Sharma
- Wriddhiman Saha
- R Ashwin
- Ravindra Jadeja
- Amit Mishra
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar
- Umesh Yadav
- Ishant Sharma
- Mohammed Shami
What about the Kiwis?
As for New Zealand, it all comes down to the spin question, and coach Mike Hesson amply answered it before he started for this tour. While acknowledging the threat posed by Ashwin, and that India might play all three spinners from the word go, he assured everyone that the Kiwis could deploy similar tactics too.
It won’t be too tough a call, given they have Mark Craig, Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi in their squad. The latter two were very much responsible for India’s 76-all out rout in the World T20 encounter on a raging Nagpur turner.
In a way, the visitors have thrown down the gauntlet already. Make no mistake, India have the better spin attack, but their batsmen also have a poor record against spin of late.
The New Zealand squad
- Kane Williamson (captain)
- Trent Boult
- Doug Bracewell
- Mark Craig
- Martin Guptill
- Tom Latham
- Jimmy Neesham
- Henry Nicholls
- Luke Ronchi
- Mitchell Santner
- Ish Sodhi
- Tim Southee
- Ross Taylor
- Neil Wagner
- BJ Watling