NEWS
Follow UsRohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja could be dropped from the Indian Test-up if they fail to qualify for the World Test Championship (WTC) final, the Press Trust of India reported after the Men in Blue were whitewashed by New Zealand in a three-match Test series.
Rohit and his men became the first Indian team to get whitewashed at home (at least three Tests). In the five Tests against Bangladesh and New Zealand, Kohli could only score 192 runs @ 21.33, while Rohit managed just 133 runs at an average of 13.3. Between them, there were only two 50-plus scores in 20 innings.
Jadeja did well with the ball but only averaged 24.88 with the bat. Meanwhile, Ashwin, too, was very mediocre against New Zealand, picking up nine wickets in six innings at an average of 41.2 and a strike rate of 65.3. The four players have been named in the squad for the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, which India will have to win at least by a margin of 4-1 to give themselves a chance of qualifying for the WTC final at Lord’s.
“But if India doesn’t qualify for the WTC final in England, one can rest assured that all four super seniors won’t be on that flight to the UK for the ensuing five-Test series. In any case, all four have likely played their final Test at home together," a source revealed to the PTI.
According to a report in the Times of India, the concerned people at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will also meet with Rohit, coach Gautam Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar before India leave for Australia. The spin-friendly surfaces used in the last two Tests will also be debated.
India, under Rahul Dravid, tried to move on from playing on rank turners at home as it also brought overseas spinners into the game. “The decision to go back to rank turners caught a few people in the board by surprise. The new support staff under Gautam Gambhir will be asked about their vision for taking the team forward,” a BCCI source told TOI.
“The BCCI has agreed to every demand of Gambhir so far. He has been given a support staff of his choice despite BCCI’s policy of promoting coaches they have groomed through NCA’s programme. He has also been allowed to attend the selection meeting for picking the team for the Australia tour. The board may have to revisit its decisions and ask Gambhir for a roadmap.”
The BCCI will also start thinking about the transition after the tour of Australia. “The selectors need to come up with a plan. It can’t be a knee-jerk reaction. There needs to be a plan. There’s no definite vice-captain in Test cricket. With Bumrah’s workload issues, it is a stop-gap arrangement for the Australia series.”
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