Opinion
As the Border-Gavaskar series starts next week, I was thinking about the unfortunate cricketers who didn’t get to play as many Tests as they deserved from India and Australia this century.
When choosing the XI for both sides, the players could be either uncapped at Test level or play at least one Test in the 21st century.
Australian XI
Opening the batting, I’ve gone with Phil Jacques and Chris Rogers. Scoring a combined 41,505 runs and 120 centuries in first-class cricket, both batsmen were incredibly unlucky to not play over 50 Tests for Australia. Wouldn’t have been a bad opening pair for Australia if they had the chance to play together.
To round off my top four, I’ve gone with two stalwarts from Queensland and South Australia. Martin Love and Darren Lehmann were born in the wrong era, or else the duo would’ve been Australian Test legends. Gosh, how hard is it for Australia to have the bench strength they had 15 years ago compared to now?
My two middle order batsmen are the Victorian legends that are Brad Hodge and David Hussey.
I still find it hard to believe Hodge played a mere six Test matches considering he averaged over 50 with a double hundred and two fifties in six Tests.
Brad Hodge of Australia (Photo by Hamish Blair/Getty Images)
As for David Hussey, to score over 14,000 FC runs at an average over 52 and not play a single Test is shocking. Hussey was comfortable against pace and an incredibly good player of spin. Hussey deserved to play at least 10 Tests before a verdict would be made on whether he was good enough for Tests.
My keeper is the Queensland legend in Chris Hartley. With the most dismissals in Sheffield Shield history (550), Hartley still found himself short of a baggy green, with the likes of Brad Haddin, Matthew Wade, Graham Manou, Peter Nevill and Tim Paine getting the nod over Hartley after Adam Gilchrist’s retirement.
At number nine is Trent Copeland. With consistent performances for St George and NSW with the red cherry in hand, Copeland made his Test debut against Sri Lanka in 2011. Having done well playing a holding role on the dead pitches offering nothing for seamers, Copeland would controversially never play Test cricket again for Australia. Although he didn’t get to play more than three Tests until date, Copeland’s cricket punditry on channel seven shows he’s more than ready for a permanent media role post-retirement.
At number nine is Chadd Sayers. With Darren Lehman’s obsession with pace as head coach of Australia’s men’s team, Sayers lack of pace cost him a Test debut many times – although ironically, he made his Test debut in Lehmann’s final game as Australia’s head coach.
With over 300 FC wickets, Sayers will be hoping he can bowl himself back into Test contention in the future.
My final seamer in the XI is Doug “the rug” Bollinger. Boy was he underrated in Test cricket. With 50 Test wickets at an average of 25.92, Bollinger was permanently discarded from Test cricket following one poor Test versus England in 2010. Should he have played more Test cricket? Bollinger’s FC and Test numbers show he should’ve.
Coming in as my spinner is Stuart MacGill. When you’re born in the same era as Shane Warne, is there anything you can complain about or just accept your fate and take the minimal chances to play Test cricket. In the 44 Tests MacGill played, the leg spinner picked over 200 wickets. Fair backup for Warne in all honesty.
In the end, this is how the Australian XI stacks up
1. Phil Jaques
2. Chris Rogers
3. Martin Love
4. Darren Lehmann (captain)
5. Brad Hodge
6. David Hussey
7. Chris Hartley (wicketkeeper)
8. Trent Copeland
9. Chadd Sayers
10. Doug Bollinger
11. Stuart MacGill
Indian XI
Opening the batting are two Tamil Nadu stalwarts in Sadagoppan Ramesh and Abhinav Mukund. For a player who was originally a lower order batsman, Ramesh showed immense grit and determination against world-class bowlers such as Wasim Akram and Shane Warne at their peak.
Although Ramesh didn’t set the world on fire with hundreds, an average of 37.97 after 19 Tests at a time when India were struggling for openers shows he blunted the new ball most times. until date, Ramesh is well known for catching Shane Warne at short leg to ensure Harbhajan Singh got his maiden Test hat trick at Eden Gardens in 2001.
A few months after India won the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup, Abhinav Mukund made his Test debut in the West Indies with Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag injured. Following a few gritty knocks, Mukund would be on the plane to England but a poor outing at Trent Bridge would mean Mukund would be dropped.
(Steven Paston – EMPICS/Getty Images)
He would play another two Tests in 2017, but was never given a long run like his state teammate Murali Vijay. With over 10000 FC runs at an average over 47, an average of 22.85 in Test cricket doesn’t do justice to the now 30 year old Mukund.
My number three is Amol Muzumder. Boy is he incredibly unlucky. Vice captain of India’s u19 team in 1994, Muzumder played alongside future Indian skippers in Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly, but never got his big break. Finishing his career with over 11000 FC runs at an average over 48, Muzumder never played a single Test for India. until date, Indian cricket fans are all in unison when voicing that Muzumder was the greatest Indian batsman to never play Test cricket.
To round off my top four is Subramaniam Badrinath. Another run machine from Tamil Nadu, Badrinath impressed on Test debut with a fighting 56 on debut. But he would only get to play another Test before he would be dropped. When the likes of Dravid, Tendulkar and Laxman retired, Badrinath should’ve been recalled – only for the Indian selectors to choose the likes of Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina. Some way to treat a batting stalwart with over 10000 FC runs.
To round off my top six is Hrishikesh Kantikar and Sheldon Jackson. Kantikar made his debut on Boxing Day at the MCG and would play his final Test a week later in January 2000 at Sydney. With over 10000 FC runs at an average of 52+, Kantikar deserved more than just two Tests. As for Sheldon Jackson, he was never considered for India A selection despite being a run-scoring machine.
My keeper in the XI is Naman Ojha. With his glovework arguably as good as MS Dhoni, Ojha was always battling alongside a few other host of Indian keepers as Dhoni’s backup. Ojha played one Test in 2015 against Sri Lanka, taking four catches and one stumping. But Wriddhiman Saha’s glovework pushed Ojha away from playing more Tests.
My first seamer in the Team is Vinay Kumar. After Javagal Srinath, Vinay Kumar is arguably the best red ball seamer to hail from Karnataka. Making his debut at the WACA in 2012, an unstoppable David Warner tore Vinay apart before he dismissed Mike Hussey as his maiden Test scalp. Dropped after one innings, Vinay Kumar would end up taking 504 FC wickets at 22.44 but was never recalled for some reason.
After Vinay comes another Karnataka seamer in Abhimanyu Mithun. Rushed into the Test team as a 20 year old and less than a year into his FC debut, Mithun failed to cope with the levels of Test cricket, taking nine wickets after four Tests at 50.66.
Currently, Mithun has taken 338 FC wickets at 26.63 but never got recalled after getting dropped in 2011. Now 31 and getting better with age, Mithun should’ve flown to Australia as a net bowler this series rather than India taking an inexperienced trio as net bowlers.
My final seamer is Jaydev Unadkat. Making his FC debut in July 2010, Unadkat would be rushed into the Indian Test team five months later, barely 19. Going wicketless in his 26 overs (0/101), Unadkat would be dropped.
Playing his FC cricket alongside Jackson, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravindra Jadeja, Unadkat currently has 327 FC wickets at an average of 23.21. India wanted a left arm seamer to replace Zaheer Khan but mismanaged Unadkat. What could’ve been for Unadkat if he was managed properly by India.
To round off the XI is Shahbaz Nadeem. After years of toiling, Nadeem made his Test debut last year against South Africa at Ranchi.
With over 440 FC wickets at 28.66, Nadeem is one of the most accurate spinners in India. Not afraid to toss the ball up, Nadeem’s performances for India A ensure India can look beyond Ashwin, Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav in Test cricket if needed.
How the Indian XI stacks up
1. Sadagoppan Ramesh
2. Abhinav Mukund
3. Amol Muzumdar (captain)
4. Subramaniam Badrinath
5. Hrishikesh Kantikar
6. Sheldon Jackson
7. Naman Ojha (wicketkeeper)
8. Vinay Kumar
9. Abhimanyu Mithun
10. Jaydev Unadkat
11. Shahbaz Nadeem
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