In the end, there was no going back to the past, with Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane, but the absence of Mohammed Shami and Kuldeep Yadav from the squad also raises serious questions of India’s ability to take 20 wickets in a Test in Australia. The 18-man squad chosen for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, to be led by Rohit Sharma, raises as many doubts as answers.
Will India’s batting stand up?
The two Tests against New Zealand have seen two pathetic batting collapses, to 46 all out in Bengaluru and for 156 in Pune. Yashasvi Jaiswal looks in decent touch at the top of the order, while Sarfaraz Khan made a stunning second-innings hundred in Bengaluru. Rishabh Pant is India’s batting X-factor if he steers clear of brain fades, but there are massive questions over the lack of runs from Rohit and Virat Kohli. Kohli made four centuries on the tour of Australia in 2014, but those days of dominance are increasingly just a memory.
Who fills in for Shami?
It was no surprise when Shami was excluded from the squad, not having played since the 2023 World Cup final. Had he managed even a couple of Ranji Trophy games before the selection was made, he would surely have made the cut. But a small setback to his recovery from knee surgery meant that he has yet to make it through a full game.
Harshit Rana has the raw pace and the hit-the-deck skills, while Prasidh Krishna’s height brings him into the equation as well. Akash Deep, who has played the New Zealand series, is the other option, though it will surely be Mohammed Siraj that shares the new ball with Jasprit Bumrah.
Who will be the main spinner?
A groin issue has ruled Kuldeep out of contention, and the series loss to New Zealand has shown that R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja may be in terminal decline. Washington Sundar starred in Pune with 11 wickets, but there is nothing in his first-class resume to suggest that he will succeed where celebrated offies like Muttiah Muralitharan and Graeme Swann failed.
Rahul or Sarfaraz?
KL Rahul made a memorable century in Melbourne a decade ago. Since then, no other India batter has played so many Tests (53) while averaging so little (33.87). That lack of consistency opens the door for Sarfaraz Khan. But despite a scintillating century against New Zealand in Bengaluru, there are many doubts over how Sarfaraz will cope with bouncy Australian pitches. The first Test in Perth should see trampoline bounce, and it will be fascinating to see who India pick at No. 6.
Can Nitish Kumar Reddy do a Hardik?
When he made his Test debut in 2017, Hardik Pandya was considered the last piece of the jigsaw, the seam-bowling all-rounder who would make India formidable in all conditions. Pandya last played a Test in September 2018. The 21-year-old Reddy, with just 21 first-class games behind him, is truly a wild-card option. But he can bowl decent medium pace and is an attacking batter capable of breaking a game open. Whether he will get a chance depends largely on whether India have faith in the third seamer chosen.
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