TACTICAL PREVIEW
Follow UsEveryone and their pet dog are talking about the ensuing ODI World Cup in India next week and you can’t really blame them. The next two months are going to be crazy, for the carnival has returned to its spiritual home. However, amongst all the chaos, the 2023-24 domestic cricket season is set to resume on Sunday (October 1), with last season’s Ranji Trophy champions Saurashtra taking on the Rest of India in the Irani Cup in Rajkot.
The Jaydev Unadkat-led Saurashtra unit has become a domestic powerhouse and defeated Bengal earlier this year to win their second Ranji Trophy title. The experienced left-arm seamer, who recently had a successful County stint with Sussex, has become a regular member of the Indian Test set-up and is averaging 16.7 with the ball in first-class cricket since 2019.
The 31-year-old will lead the Saurashtra bowling attack, but he is not the only renowned name in their set-up. In Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, Saurashtra have a spinner who can not only bowl those long spells but can also pick wickets at regular intervals. Parth Bhut and Yuvrajsinh Dodiya are the other two spinners in the squad.
Saurashtra’s batting looks even more impressive in the presence of Cheteshwar Pujara, Sheldon Jackson, Arpit Vasavada, Harvik Desai, Prerak Mankad, and a couple more all-rounders. India’s next Test assignment is in South Africa and the Irani Cup could allow someone like Pujara to remain in the scheme of things. The 35-year-old was dropped from the Indian Test team after the last WTC final and would be eager to make an impression in this game.
Saurashtra also have experienced campaigners like Vasavada and Jackson in their batting line-up. While Vasavada was the second-highest run-getter in the last edition of the Ranji Trophy, Jackson scored a match-winning 160 in the semi-final against Karnataka and 59 in the final against Bengal. Wicketkeeper-batter Harvik is another one to watch out for.
Now let’s talk about the Rest of India, who will be led by Hanuma Vihari. They will be without some of the big names who are currently in Hangzhou for the Asian Games. Vihari, who hasn’t played for India for close to 15 months, hasn’t scored a lot of runs of late. Yash Dhull too didn’t have a great 2022-23 Ranji Trophy, but you can’t say the same for Mayank Agarwal, Sai Sudharsan and Sarfaraz Khan.
We all know how good Sarfaraz has been in the red-ball format, while Agarwal was the leading run-scorer last season. Sudarshan and Rohan Kunnummal were impressive in the Duleep Trophy in July and would want to continue the good work. This is also going to be an important game for Bharat. The wicketkeeper-batter didn’t do much in the five Tests he played for India and could now fall out of favour considering KL Rahul is back.
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The pace unit will be spearheaded by Navdeep Saini, with Vidwath Kaverappa accompanying him. Akash Deep was also named in the squad but the Bengal pacer has been asked to travel to China for the Asian Games, meaning the Rest of India will no with just two frontline seamers in their squad. Shams Mulani, Pulkit Narang and Saurabh Kumar are their spinners.
Selectors’ favourites
(Four young players on whom the selectors would be keeping a close eye on)
Let’s start with the obvious one. Enough has been written about Sarfaraz in the last two years and it’s a shame that he still hasn’t been able to find a place in the Indian Test squad. The middle-order batter has done everything possible to command a place in the Test XI. Since 2020, the 25-year-old has amassed 3024 runs in 41 innings at an average of 94.5. In this period, he has 12 centuries and seven fifties. He didn’t have a great IPL 2023 and Duleep Trophy, but one solid knock could make him a topic of discussion prior to the South Africa tour.
The 24-year-old hasn’t put a foot wrong since making his debut for Karnataka last year. He has been superb in all three formats, but his ability to move the ball both ways makes him an exciting prospect in red-ball cricket. In the last edition of the Ranji Trophy, the right-armer claimed 30 wickets at an average of 20.4. Earlier this year in the Duleep Trophy, Kaverappa took 15 wickets in four innings @ 11.93. India don’t really have a swing bowler and someone like him could prove to be an asset in the future.
The 21-year-old has played only 10 first-class encounters but is one of those who can survive at the top level. The left-handed batter, who made his red-ball format debut last year, recently featured in a couple of fixtures for County Champions Surrey, scoring 73 and 40 in their last game against Hampshire. And, a good outing in the Irani Cup could help him grow further.
One of those wicketkeepers who can also open the innings. The 23-year-old from Saurashtra has been consistent with the bat since his debut in November 2018. He has operated at an average of 37.19, 31.42, 42.4 and 40.93, respectively, in his four Ranji Trophy editions. Last season, he scored 614 runs in 10 games, studded with three centuries and as many fifties. If he can keep going, the India A call-up won’t be too far away.
Squads
Rest of India: Hanuma Vihari (c), KS Bharat, Mayank Agarwal, Yash Dhull, Shams Mulani, Sai Sudarshan, Sarfaraz Khan, Pulkit Narang, Saurabh Kumar, Yash Dayal, Navdeep Saini, Vidwath Kaverappa, Akash Deep, Rohan Kunnummal, Dhruv Jurel.
Saurashtra: Jaydev Unadkat (c), Cheteshwar Pujara, Sheldon Jackson, Arpit Vasavada, Harvik Desai, Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, Prerak Mankad, Chirag Jani, Jay Gohil, Parth Bhut, Vishvarajsinh Jadeja, Samarth Vyas, Yuvrajsinh Dodiya, Kushang Patel, Snell Patel, Devang Karamta.
