Has the time come for the Indian Test team to blood in youngsters and phase out the seniors with the next World Championship cycle beginning with the West Indies tour?
Yet another defeat in the final of an ICC event has put into question India’s lack of preparedness for the event with the performance of a few senior players coming in for criticism. However, India were also impacted by the absence of few of their first-choice players with the likes of Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer nursing injuries despite playing a vital role in the team’s progress to a second straight WTC final.
India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik thinks that the team did suffer from the absence of a few players but that doesn’t mean that a little revamp isn’t required.
“I think a bit of both,” Karthik said on Cricbuzz. “In many ways we know that a lot of them (players) are in their mid-30s. So few questions there for Rahul Dravid, who he wants to keep and who he wants to move on with. Now other names that you said, Bumrah, Rahul, Shreyas Iyer and Pant. Iyer will walk into this team. Let’s make it very obvious. I think they warrant a place in the team. In this cycle, they have been one of the key reasons, why we are sitting here and talking in England today because that’s the kind of success they have helped India achieve.”
Karthik suggests including young Yashasvi Jaiswal into the Test team thanks and also advised that Sarfaraz Khan, who has been piling on the runs regularly in domestic cricket should get a look in as well in the next cycle.
Including them though will leave the team management with a big question though: Who goes out?
“No. 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal. He has had a phenomenal domestic season. Are we going to find a place for him? No. 2 Sarfaraz Khan. Now that’s been a big name doing the rounds for some time now in the middle order. If you want to fit him in, who are you going to leave out and then followed by the Mukesh Kumars and the rest of them, is there a place for a new medium pacer to come in and stamp his authority over a period of time? Are you going to give him that two-year cycle?” Karthik said.
Karthik also pointed out that Umesh Yadav and Shardul Thakur haven’t been as effective as pacers even though Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj continue to be impressive.
He thinks the team needs to have a relook at the role of allrounder Thakur.
“Let’s be very honest. I think Shami and Siraj were very good. But Umesh and Shardul as bowlers weren’t as effective as (Rahul) Dravid and Rohit would have thought it to be. So, yes Shardul contributed with the bat. But are we always going to look at him as a bowler who can bat or a pure all-rounder. I would think more as a bowler who can bat. And Umesh, where do you see him in the context of things?” he said.
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