This will be India’s first home assignment after the retirements of big names.
The upcoming series for India against the West Indies will be significant in numerous ways. This will be India’s first home assignment after the retirements of big names like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravichandran Ashwin. When they last played a series in their own backyard, New Zealand blanked them 3-0, exposing numerous issues.
This is a side in transition, and home wins won’t come as easily as they did all these years. That said, India have begun preparing for a new cycle and will look to assert their dominance in these conditions. The focus should be on forming a group that can remain as unbeatable as the previous one.
We look at three key takeaways from India’s squad.
Devdutt Padikkal has been in supreme form in red-ball cricket and rightly gets a spot in the squad. However, chief selector Ajit Agarkar has also backed him to play in the XI, highlighting his previous fifty in Dharamsala and solid form in India A fixtures. That suggests he might get an extended run and will likely bat at No.3 or 5 as per demand.
Padikkal has been a beast in the red-ball format and has hardly put a foot wrong in the last year or so. So, even if Sai Sudharsan plays, India should find a spot for him in the XI, ideally at No.3. If the choice is between Sudharsan and Padikkal, the latter will likely get the nod ahead due to his recent form.
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Unfortunately, Karun Nair couldn’t make the most of his second chance on the England tour and showed obvious issues against the moving ball. It’s never easy to perform on overseas tours, especially when a batter comes with ample matches in the subcontinent, but the management definitely expected more from him. He got a fair amount of matches on the tour, but his returns were middling.
Agarkar has made it clear that they wanted more runs from Nair and will have to move on now. The inclusion of Sudharsan and Padikkal indicates that his Test career might already be over. It’s hard for Nair to make a return, especially at this stage of his career, as management wants to give chances to young players from now on.
India recalled Shardul Thakur for the England tour but have stuck with Nitish Kumar Reddy for the home series. He is clearly seen as the next pace-bowling option with massive batting potential. Ajit Agarkar praised him for showing terrific bowling smarts in England and batting heroics in Australia.
Given the management’s liking for all-rounders, Reddy can be a long-term investment. His selection for the home series, where the team has historically preferred spin-bowling all-rounders, indicates he is being groomed for overseas tours. Even if he doesn’t get a game, his potential clearly keeps him ahead of all other pace-bowling all-rounders in the setup.
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