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While people were looking at Australia’s T20 and ODI team selections, the Indian selection committee have selected new teams for the three formats.
Team for one-off Test versus Afghanistan at Bangalore
Ajinkya Rahane (c), Cheteshwar Pujara, Shikhar Dhawan, Murali Vijay, KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Wriddhiman Saha, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Hardik Pandya, Ishant Sharma, Shardul Thakur.
In the absence of regular skipper Virat Kohli, who has opted to play county cricket for Surrey, Rahane will lead the team.
Rahane now looks set to be India’s next Test specialist, along with Vijay and Pujara. Unlike the latter two, Rahane was being selected on and off for both ODI and T20 etams as well, but this time has been selected for Tests alone.
Players rested are Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah, both of whom are crucial for India’s England tour. The selectors seem to have finally given up on Rohit Sharma for Tests while Karun Nair makes a comeback.
Interestingly, while Virat has been allowed to go to England, Ishant and Pujara, also playing county for Sussex and Yorkshire, have been called back to India to play this solitary Test. However, the counties will not complain as that week they do not have matches.
The batsmen in the team are therefore Vijay and Shikhar (openers), Pujara at three, and Ajinkya and Karun as middle order batsmen. I expect Rahul to play in the middle order as well, and Karun to sit out.
Selector MSK Prasad has hinted that it would be too much of a risk to select Karun straight away for England, which indicates he may play at Bangalore and will be on the flight to the Old Dart.
The quick bowlers are Shami, Umesh, Ishant and Shardul. Saha makes a return as first-choice keeper, while Hardik Pandya retains his place as fast-bowling allrounder. The spin options are Ashwin, Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav.
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Indian ODI team versus England
Virat Kohli (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni(wk), Dinesh Karthik, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jaspreet Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Siddarth Kaul, Umesh Yadav.
Indian T20 team versus Ireland
Virat Kohli (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Suresh Raina, Manish Pandey, MS Dhoni(wk), Dinesh Karthik, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Wshington Sundar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jaspreet Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Siddarth Kaul, Umesh Yadav.
The bulk of the two squads are the same. Common batsmen are Virat, Shikhar, Rohit and Rahul, while Dhoni and Karthick figure in both as wicketkeeper-batsman.
Chahal, Kuldeep and Washington are in both as spinners, while fast-bowling allrounder Pandya and the same four quicks are there too.
On the basis of excellent IPL performance, Rayudu has been selected for ODI team instead of T20, which is a bit strange, while Shreyas Iyer continues in the ODI team as well. Siddarth Kaul too has been selected for his excellent IPL performance as well, replacing Shardul, who has been selected for the Test squad.
The non-selection of both Ashwin and Jadeja means they do not figure in plans for the 2019 World Cup, although continued faith in Hardik Pandya means he is seen as an important piece of the puzzle. Axar Patel too seems out of favour, as is Jayadev Unadkat, who was the costliest Indian player at the IPL but has had a disappointing tournament so far.
To conclude, the selectors have made it clear that they see some players as capable of playing all three formats, certain players as Test specialists and a couple of others as playing only the shorter formats.
Rotation of fast bowlers seem to be on minds with Shami, Ishant and Shardul selected for Tests alone and other quicks selected for T20 and ODI, and Umesh Yadav the only quick to be selected for all three formats. Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah too, of course, are certainties for Tests but have been rested.
It’s good that Afghanistan is not being taken lightly, with India putting up a near full-strength team. It is also good that for a change instead of ODI and T20 following the Test series, they have preceded it, which will allow Indians – notoriously slow starters – more time to acclimatise to weather and pitches.
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