Before every bilateral tour, Virat Kohli announces that new players will be tried out, keeping in mind the next major ICC tournament.Now the talk is all about the 2020 T20 World Cup in Australia. Some new names have already been being floated, and some of tried-and-tested players are also doing the rounds.
But it should not be a rerun of what happened before the 2019 World Cup. For two years before the big event in England, the talk was only about a vacant place in the middle-order and spinners.
Even before the team returned from New Zealand for the return ODI series against Australia, Kohli and Ravi Shastri announced that their World Cup squad was more or less finalised. Chief selector MSK Prasad endorsed their views. Months before the event, the selectors and management said they’d found the batsman for the vexing No 4 slot. But the man they had in their mind could not get in as they judged him on his form in IPL.
Ambati Rayudu’s experience counted for nothing when chief selector called up Vijay Shankar. When he got injured soon, Rayudu was forgotten. He was bypassed not once but twice, apparently at the request of the management. In a huff he announced his retirement, which he’d eventually go on to withdraw.
Things have changed a bit now. Shastri and new batting coach Vikram Rathour have a problem on hand: what should be done with Rishabh Pant? Both have little doubt about the youngster’s immense talent. He’s the only India wicketkeeper to score Test tons in England and Australia in back-to-back series. Everyone hoped he would improve keeping with more appearances for India.
As Pant has started finding newer ways to throw his wicket away, he has started testing the patience of the team management; especially Shastri’s.Rathour got into the act straightaway, talking of his priorities and coining catchy lines. In fact, he took off from where Shastri left off. Kohli talked in generalities about the commitment of players. All three are getting on to the same page. Even if Kohli showed some consideration for his Delhi teammate, Shastri would have none of it. He publicly stated that Pant would get a rap on his knuckles, talent or no talent, if he gets out playing rash shots. That’s good enough to rattle the youngster.
Taking the cue, Rathour tried to tell Pant that “there’s a fine line between fearless cricket and reckless cricket”. His advice was that Pant should bring a bit of discipline into his game. All eyes were on Pant when he came out to bat at IS Bindra Stadium on Wednesday, ahead of a mature Shreyas Iyer and Hardik Pandya.
Pant came in at a time when he could bat freely. His captain was at the other end, and snuffed out pressure. As luck would have it, he flicked spinner Bjorn Fortuin’s long-hop straight to the fielder at short fine-leg. Like always, he walked back with a wry smile, ruing another wretched dismissal.
Pant is not an exception in this regard. There are a few who keep testing the patience of selectors and their teammates, all their talent notwithstanding. He does have time on his side, but right now Pant is under tremendous pressure.
(The writer is a veteran commentator and the views expressed are personal. He can be reached at sveturi@gmail.com)