New Delhi: Sarfaraz Khan’s fearless approach in the home series against England impressed one and all but KL Rahul’s experience will give him the advantage when it comes to finalising the playing XI in India’s season-opening Test series against Bangladesh starting September 19 in Chennai.
It is believed that the team management and the selection committee’s full focus is on the tour of Australia in November-December and Rahul’s experience of 50 Tests puts him in an advantageous position.
For the team management, it is a choice between a younger man’s (Sarfaraz) flamboyance and fearlessness and a seasoned campaigner who has been a Test captain and is part of the national set-up for a decade now.
“For people on the outside, they don’t understand how a team works and what are the systems in place. In his last three Test matches, KL scored a century in South Africa, one of the best Test knocks in recent times and 86 at Hyderabad in the last Test he played before injury.
“He was not dropped but got injured. So, he is fit and available, scored a fifty in Duleep, got match time and he will start,” a BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
Sarfaraz, a domestic giant, had a very impressive debut with twin half-centuries on debut against England at Rajkot and another half ton against the same opposition at Dharamsala, showing his precise footwork and improvisation against both fast and slow bowlers.
“Sarfaraz has done everything right and mind it, if there is an injury anywhere, he will just walk in but Rahul’s experience is irreplaceable. And the team management is not just looking at Bangladesh, they are looking at Australia where previous experience matters,” the source added.
Rahul had missed two previous Test tours of Australia due to injuries but in 2014, he had scored a century in Sydney.
While Rahul’s average of less than 35 after 50 Tests doesn’t paint a rosy picture but his uncanny knack of scoring at big overseas venues like Sydney, Lord’s, Oval, Centurion along with his range of strokes when on song keeps him slightly ahead of the Mumbaikar.
The same theory of continuity will also be applicable in the Rishabh Pant vs Dhruv Jurel case.
Jurel is a fine talent and did well in the England series but Pant is an exceptional Test player. Jurel will have to wait for his chance.
The only slot where there could be some close competition is the third spinner’s position where Kuldeep Yadav is pitted against Axar Patel, who has also had a decent Test career so far.
In the recently-concluded Duleep Trophy first round, Axar and Kuldeep had contrasting performances for their respective sides. While Axar took three wickets apart from scoring 86 on a green top at Anantapur, Kuldeep looked a bit off-colour unable to trouble the talented Musheer Khan and tailender Navdeep Saini.
But Kuldeep has had success against Bangladesh in the 2022 away series and also with more variations in store, he is abetter bet than Axar on good batting tracks.
Musheer set for India A tour of Australia
It is understood that 19-year-old Musheer Khan, who has had a dream first-class season, is all set to travel to Australia for the India A shadow tour, which will have three ‘four-day’ Tests.
Having scored a double hundred in the Ranji quarter-final and a century in the final, Musheer has impressed with his 181 for India B against India A.
The India A team for Australia tour will be picked based on the Duleep Trophy performances and the Irani Cup match between Rest of India and Ranji champions Mumbai, which will be held before tour of Australia.
While a couple of Test specialists and pacers might be sent early, two names that are almost certain to make it are Musheer and Rajasthan left-arm spinner Manav Suthar, who has eclipsed Saurabh Kumar as the next best left-arm spinner after Ravindra Jadeja and Axar.
As of now, if there are no fitness issues, Musheer is a certainty for India A’s tour of Australia.
Those in the know believe that his talent and penchant for big scores on big occasions (Ranji Trophy final) and against quality attacks (an opposition pace attack comprising Akash Deep, Khaleel Ahmed and Avesh Khan) will work to Musheer’s advantage.
Also the temperament of playing 373 balls (62.1 overs out of 116 overs) has made him stand out along with how he forged partnership with a tailender (Navdeep Saini).
In case of Suthar, Ajit Agarkar and his colleagues are looking at slowly making him Axar’s understudy and put him on regular A tours so that by the time Jadeja is done, he becomes the second left-arm orthodox bowler.
