COMBINATION ANALYSIS
Follow UsIndia are set to return to Test cricket with a two-match series against Bangladesh starting on Thursday (September 19). They last played Test cricket in March where the dynamics were completely different.
Facing England then, India were closing out the season with a number of senior players not available. Now, they are preparing for the season ahead with a full-strength squad to pick from.
A major chunk of the anticipated XI for the first Test in Chennai picks itself. In this piece, we discuss the other open slots concerning the middle order and the bowling attack. A few of these calls may be influenced by the Border Gavaskar Trophy lined up for the Men in Blue later this year.
Rahul or Sarfaraz in the middle-order?
Sarfaraz Khan is a prolific run-scorer in red-ball cricket in India. Even though he didn’t kick off the 2024/25 home season on a good note, he averages 70.5 in first-class cricket at home since 2022. He translated his potential in his first three Tests (against England), averaging 50 with three half-centuries.
However, Sarfaraz’s three Tests came at the expense of numerous senior batters unavailable who are part of the squad now. One of them is KL Rahul who scored 86 in the Hyderabad Test before getting injured. He has a mediocre record at home — an average of 29.2 in five innings in India since 2022. Also playing two Tests in Bangladesh in December 2022, he averaged only 14.3. But the right-hander has become a sort of overseas specialist for India with two hundreds in South Africa and one in England over his past few assignments.
Rahul is the front-runner for the middle-order spot for Border Gavaskar Trophy, making it significant to give him some game time before landing in Australia.
Hence, the Sarfaraz versus Rahul debate becomes a conundrum between horses for courses and looking at the future. Addressing the media on Tuesday (September 17), skipper Rohit Sharma seemed to be backing Rahul's case.
“With KL we know what his calibre is. The message to him is clear: We want him to play all matches and that’s what we have done," he said.
Where will Pant bat?
Rishabh Pant will return to Test cricket after 21 months and everyone is excited. We all know how he is going to bat but the question is at which number will we see his shenanigans.
Pant moved up to number five during Rahul Dravid’s coaching. Pant scored 7 and 61 for India B batting at number five but what Gautam Gambhir’s coaching stint has to offer remains to be seen.
In the current line-up, Pant at five will ensure India's consistent flow of left-handers with Yashasvi Jaiswal at the top and Ravindra Jadeja at seven. However, knowing Gambhir’s willingness for match-ups in white-ball cricket, Pant’s entry point maybe subjected to the opposition bowlers. Bangladesh have two left-arm spinners — Shakib Al Hasan and Taijul Islam – and Pant can be sent to counter them if and when they bowl in tandem.
Third spinner - Axar or Kuldeep?
India have four spinners in the squad, out of which three are expected to get a chance in the XI. Ravichandran Ashwin and Jadeja, based on their experience and India’s upcoming assignments, should take the first two spots. This leaves a choice between Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav.
On bowling capabilities alone, Axar is no match to Kuldeep. After a terrific start to his Test career, Axar’s bowling has tapered off. He has managed only eight wickets in six Tests since 2023. Kuldeep, meanwhile, playing only four Tests in this time period, all against England this year, has 19 scalps. He snapped key wickets in a competitive series against the Three Lions, raising his stocks in the red-ball format.
However, Axar offers batting depth. His presence will stretch India’s batting resources to number nine, a provision that has helped India rack up crucial runs at home on numerous occasions. Axar has averaged 56.7 with the bat in Tests since 2023.
But the question would be, is batting till number nine important enough to compromise on the bowling quality? And Kuldeep is also no mug with the bat.
Both of them currently seem to be the only backup picks for the playing XI in Australia. Who would be ahead for selection in Australia? The selection for Chennai will give a sneak peek into that.
Is Siraj locked in as the second seamer?
Let’s start this with trivia: India haven’t played more than two specialist seamers in a Test in Chepauk in the 21st century.
Considering the streak to continue, India have four seamers in their squad for the first Test. Jasprit Bumrah is likely to lead the seam attack. Mohammed Siraj is the other most experienced pacer with Akash Deep (one Test) and Yash Dayal (yet to debut) in the mix.
Siraj’s inclusion to accompany Bumrah is a straightforward choice. But these two Tests are also a good opportunity to look at a few other options.
Akash Deep did well in his Test debut, picking three wickets with the new ball in Ranchi against England. He was also impressive in the first round of Duleep Trophy, grabbing nine wickets against India B.
Yash Dayal is yet to make his Test debut but could be a wild card pick for the series in Australia as a left-arm seamer. He picked an impressive four-wicket haul against India A in the same Duleep Trophy match.
Given both are part of the pecking order of seamers and that Bumrah might be rested for the second Test, a Test each for both these new pacers alongside an experienced pro in Bumrah and Siraj, could be an efficient way to frame the pace attack. In that scenario, Siraj would not be the second seamer in Chennai, opening the door for either Akash Deep or Yash Dayal.
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