A few notable changes are expected in India's Test XI in the coming times.
The Border Gavaskar Trophy pointed out all the flaws in India’s Test team that need instant addressing, and a transition is the need of the hour. Several big calls must come, including big names’ omission and bringing fresh guns in. The change must start from the top, with the Indian captain Rohit Sharma to be excluded and a new opener should be appointed.
KL Rahul can take the opening slot and open with Yashasvi Jaiswal, but he has blown hot and cold, so they can look for alternatives if the team wants. Still, he might be the best bet at the moment, given the issues with other openers. Meanwhile, India should continue with Shubman Gill at No.3, even after his middling returns.
He has issues but has taken enough innings and done well in patches to get an extended run. His performance in Australia wasn’t encouraging, but now that the team has invested in him, they should give him a longer rope. Virat Kohli should also not find a place in the XI due to obvious issues against deliveries outside off-stump.
He doesn’t look to improve on this aspect, and with his ageing reflexes, the issues will become more prominent. India have Dhruv Jurel, who is technically solid and has done well almost every time he has had a chance. He can take the No.4 slot and should get fair chances before coming to any conclusion.
Meanwhile, Rishabh Pant should continue at No.5 and play as a wicketkeeper batter. He is the best option in this category, and there’s no reason to replace him. Nitish Kumar Reddy, who had a breakthrough debut series in Australia, should play as a pace-bowling all-rounder, taking the No.6 spot.
India’s premium all-rounder, Ravindra Jadeja should be the spin-bowling all-rounder and take the No.7 spot. He is good enough to contribute with both bat and ball. The No.8 and 9 slots will depend on conditions, for India should go with additional spinners if they play at home or subcontinent conditions.
If India are playing at home, they should go with Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav as two other spinners. Axar Patel also presents a strong case, but Sundar provides variety. Further, Sundar’s bowling has improved massively and can be trusted to do the job consistently in favourable conditions.
India have three premium pacers – Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Mohammed Shami. However, Shami’s fitness has been a major issue, so the team can proceed with two of these three pacers if he’s fit. They have enough batting depth, given Kuldeep can also hold his bat and chip in with a few crucial runs.
The other options in the pace department are Akash Deep and Mukesh Kumar, who are heavily suited for conditions at home. They can come in if the team wants to rest and rotate their key pacers. Then India also have Prasidh Krishna and Harshit Rana, but they need more work on their bowling.
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However, India must play four frontline pacers in overseas Tests outside Asia. Those speedsters should be Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami, and Akash Deep. They should only go with Jadeja as their spinner and play Nitish Kumar Reddy.
India made a massive mistake by selecting two spinners in Australia and they didn’t even use the second spinner properly. That increased the workload on the three main seamers and not repeat the same mistake. Playing four specialist pacers in SENA Tests is necessary, given those conditions hardly have anything for spinners.
India’s XI for subcontinent Tests: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Dhruv Jurel, Rishabh Pant (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami/Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah (c)
India’s XI for SENA Tests: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Dhruv Jurel, Rishabh Pant (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah (c), Akash Deep
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