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Show of hands: how many of you were actually aware that Sri Lanka and India are different countries? Be honest.
The selectors seem to be under the impression that the two countries are one, belonging to another country called ‘subcontinent’, and have picked a team for the subcontinent instead of one for India.
Certain people have been picked to hedge their bets, and unfortunately this is a demonstration of a complete lack of confidence in the players who have just steamrolled Pakistan.
The two players who suffer most are Usman Khawaja and Matt Renshaw. Neither deserve this treatment and it could cause more harm than good.
Shaun Marsh, it is widely assumed, has been picked to either replace Khawaja or Renshaw.
Does Marsh have form that warrants an immediate return to the team? No. Sadly, Marsh got injured at the wrong time and his replacement(s) have thrived. It’s unfortunate for Marsh, but cricket is a harsh mistress.
I haven’t the foggiest clue why people seem to think that because Marsh has a good record in Sri Lanka, where Khawaja’s record is poor, they are likely to carry that form to India. Neither have played a Test match in India. Marsh’s experience in India comes from flogging a white ball on batting tracks at night – hardly an ideal reference for Test cricket.
Furthermore, India and Sri Lanka are completely different countries with wildly different geographic conditions. Sri Lankan pitches are uniformly similar, with matches played in hot and humid conditions. India on the other hand, especially in February and March, has slightly different weather, and thus slightly different pitches the further north you go. Bangalore will be the only pitch similar to a Sri Lankan one.
The fourth Test will be played in the Himalayan foothills of Dharamsala in March. We are talking about a region that has a drier climate to the south, firmer pitches, and will be played in a far more hospitable climate. It may even be on the chilly side then.
If anything, India have erred by giving Australia welcome relief. They should have played in a furnace like Hyderabad. The pitches won’t be as traumatic as the ones in tropical India, so Khawaja should do okay.
Finally, the logic of replacing Khawaja or Renshaw for having a poor record in Asia, or potentially exposing a player to challenging conditions, is flawed. Khawaja’s not the first player to struggle in Asia, but just because he struggled in Sri Lanka does not mean he’ll struggle in India. Matthew Hayden absolutely dominated in India and was middling in Sri Lanka.
Ricky Ponting had the worst record in India you could imagine – I mean, he had three genuinely useless tours to India – but who would have dared drop him?
Provide Khawaja with the confidence that was afforded to Ponting – which is now being afforded to David Warner, who has failed in India before – then he might be in a position to relax and thrive.
Renshaw is going to have to play in India one day. The kid is in form and provides the stability that the opening partnership needs (Warner is quite frankly not to be trusted in India). Let him play.
Bottom line: Renshaw, Khawaja and Marsh have faced precisely zero Test match deliveries in India. Renshaw and Khawaja have played red-ball cricket in the past two months. Renshaw and Khawaja are in excellent form and deserve the opportunity to be the first choices for at least the opening two Tests. I’d pick both of these players before Warner if I’m honest.
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