Who should not make the Test XI against India?

There has been a wealth of speculation on the makeup of the first Test against India, who should come in, possible bolters, players who shouldn’t have been picked in the first place etcetera etcetera.

Here is who I think should not be in the starting XI.

Marnus Labuschagne
Labuschagne, although a revelation with the ball in the last series, should not be picked for the first Test. Let’s put aside the fact that spin will play much less of a role on the flatter decks at home than the turners in the sub-continent, and focus on his batting.

Marnus came away from his first stint in the baggy green with a grand total of 81 runs at an average of 20.25 and a high score of 43. Not exactly a position solidifying performance. This would be all fine if he then went home and followed his coaches orders of scoring runs on the domestic scene, yet he has almost comically done the opposite of that.

In his two games back in maroon for the Queensland Bulls, he has scored a paltry 52 runs in four innings, registering a highest score of 28. This leaves him 49th in the most runs scored list for the 2018-19 Sheffield Shield season, lower than Joe Mennie, Jackson Bird and even Chad Sayers.

If he doesn’t stand up in the four innings he has before the first Test against India, he could find himself left out.

Marnus Labuschagne of Australia bowls (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)

Jack Edwards
There has been a call from certain facets of the media that perhaps we blood the youngest of the young into the Test side. Born in 2000, Jack Edwards has played a meagre three first-class matches, this being his debut season.

That being said, in that time he has scored his maiden shield ton and scored more runs than the likes of Callum Ferguson (who was being considered a middle-order prospect until a string of low scores and a calf strain) and Shaun Marsh (the man who needs no introduction).

He’s shown promise at U19 level, in the JLT cup, where he scored his maiden List A century, and in his (albeit brief (so far)) spell at Shield Level. However, it is ultimately too soon to select him at national level, give him another couple of seasons at least and if he maintains this quality then, by all means, blood him in, but for now, we wait and see whether this purple patch is a fluke.

Jake Lehmann
The son of ex-national coach Darren, Jake has had a solid start to his career, averaging 40.75 from 40 games with seven tons and 12 50s. He’s set the shield on fire at the start of this season, scoring 298 runs in five digs at an average of 74.5, so no one is doubting his form.

As a Redbacks fan, it pains me to say one of our players is not ready for international cricket. But Jake is one of them. His technique is simply too raw for Test match cricket, a tendency to plant his cinder blocks across the line being his the main issue.

He looks to deal in boundaries and struggles at times against spin, a key feature of any Indian attack, and although Langer appreciates a good bloodline, I doubt that will be enough to gain a spot in the side.

Jake Lehmann of South Australia. (AAP Image/George Salpigtidis)

Jason Sangha
Another NSW young ‘un, Sangha captained the Australia U19 WC squad that featured his Blues teammate Edwards and top scored in the tournament.

He replicated this form in his first stint at first-class level with the now disbanded Cricket Australia XI in a tour game against England, scoring a ton and becoming the second youngest player ever to do so against the arch-rivals.

Hailed for great things by many ex-players and commentators alike, most notably Kerry O’Keefe, Sangha is almost sure to debut for Australia at some point.

But that can’t be this summer. With only nine first class innings under his belt, Sangha, like Edwards, lacks the experience needed to perform in the whites for Australia.

Furthermore, although he has two first class tons to his name, the second coming from the same game as Edward’s first against Tasmania, his average is still a mere 33.6. We all know the outcry from fans the last time players who averaged 33 were selected, his age shouldn’t change that.

While it may be tempting for the selectors to look to the next generation to fix the batting woes, it is important to remember the wealth of batting available from the current generation.

As for Marnus, give him a rest, if he scores runs in the lead up to the Big Bash then he could be a shoe in for the Sri Lanka tests, but selecting an out of form player who struggled to find his feet in the first place has often been the death of batting sides.

Lehmann, if his form is sustained, could also see a possible call-up for the January tests against Sri Lanka. That is if Cricket Australia hasn’t disbanded by then.