CHENNAI: KL Rahul, Dinesh Karthik, Vijay Shankar. It’s not certain how many of these three would have thought about the prospect two months ago, but come the World Cup and one of them will be occupying a middle-order slot in the Indian XI. Going by the way the team management has gone about the composition in the recent past, it is expected that there will be six batsmen including MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya at No 7, followed by four bowlers.
While the combination of bowlers can vary, there is only one room for debate in batting. The top three, Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav are certainties. This leaves Rahul, Karthik and Vijay fighting for one middle-order slot. Whether No 4 or 5, it has to be one of them.
It’s well known that none of the three has got a decent enough run in these positions, which demand the occupants to be adept at the holding game as well as at switching gears. Maybe the selectors and the team management had plans for Rahul, which got disrupted because of his temporary suspension.
But it’s not clear how they groomed the other two for the role they have been chosen for. In and out of the XI, Karthik got two matches at No 6 in Australia and two more at No 5 in New Zealand. In the five ODIs he has batted in, Vijay has been No 5, 6 and 7.
Simply put, the player included in the XI will have to perform a duty that he is not accustomed to. Karthik and Vijay did bat in these positions in the IPL, whereas Rahul is playing as an opener. This further strengthens the argument that when it comes to the one-day format, India’s World Cup options for an important position are short on experience of playing there. But then, this is a gamble that has been taken. To an extent, India’s hopes will hinge on whether it pays off or not.
“Dropping Ambati Rayudu after backing him for so long and trying him out in these positions has put question marks over India’s middle-order. As result, we are still not sure who can be India’s best bet in a crucial position. Ideally, we should have been in a better position as far as this one is concerned,” said former selection committee chairman Kiran More.
India’s wicketkeeper in the 1987 and 1992 World Cups is of the opinion that Rahul should be looked at as a back-up opener. “This leaves us with DK and Vijay. I’ll go for the former because he has been around a long time. Plus, DK has the experience of winning and finishing matches for India. Vijay has played just a few games and the job is batting in a vital position in the World Cup. Considering the pressure involved, skills required and performance in the past, DK is my choice. Rahul, I think, is there as a reserve opener.”
Whoever it is, the manner of filling this blank gives the impression that those concerned are looking for a stop-gap arrangement. It’s almost as if a “let’s look for a solution now” mentality is at work, after the failure to nurture options. Not the ideal way to go before the World Cup, but that’s how this set-up wants it to be.