CHENNAI: With the Indian team management gearing up to draft Dinesh Karthik as a Test regular, the future of Wriddhiman Saha will hang in the balance when the national selectors sit in Bengaluru on Tuesday. That’s when they finalise they squads for the one-off Test against Afghanistan, limited- overs sides for tours of Ireland (2 T20Is) and England (3 T20Is, 3 ODIs), and the India A team tour of England. Off-spinner R Ashwin might also be rested for the Test against Afghanistan, opening the door for one of Yuzvendra Chahal or Kuldeep Yadav to be tried on an experimental basis.
Though there have been widespread speculations that the A team — which will face West Indies A and England Lions — will comprise as many Test regulars as possible, Express understands that Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara are two players who are certain to be part of the mix, with selectors keen on testing fringe players. This might mean that players who have been part of the national mix may be part of the A tour, with the likes of Karun Nair, Sanju Samson, Rishabh Pant, Prithvi Shaw and Abhinav Mukund likely to be picked.
There is also a school of thought to include Ashwin in the A team, as he had turned down an offer from Worcestershire this season. If he is rested for Afghanistan, it will deny him any longformat practice before the fivematch Pataudi series against England begins in August. Among those who are likely to be rested for Afghanistan is Hardik Pandya. But that would mean that selectors won’t be able to send Vijay Shankar — the back-up all-rounder — to England.
“We cannot rest too many regulars for this Test because then we won’t be able to give enough game-time to fringe players in England. For example, Vijay is in the mix for the England tour, and it will be ideal only if he gets to play with the A team,” a source told Express. Though there is a possibility of sending more players with the A team, the management is also cautious regarding workload. Hence, they have requested to not consider bowlers for the A tour.
The selectors are also aware that most of the Test regulars, being part of the limited-over scheme of things, are bound to get enough time to acclimatise to the conditions. This means that the likes of KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Karthik and Hardik are unlikely to be a part of the A team, and might feature in the limited-over legs of the UK tour after Afghanistan. “The A tour is essential since if a Test regular is injured, the back-up is in tune. Pujara and Ishant (Sharma) are already in England playing county cricket, and the limited-over series will give them enough preparation,” the source added. With regards to the wicketkeeper slot, the Indian team believes that Karthik, being a better batsman than Saha and Parthiv Patel, will give them more cover.
Though Saha has played an instrumental role in India’s rise in Test rankings, there are concerns over the his ability to play significant roles in overseas conditions. In South Africa, with India playing five bowlers, their batting was found wanting, and hence the team is looking at Karthik. They reckon that him turning out against Afghanistan might be a good way of inducting him back into the Test scheme of things.
venkatakrishna@newindianexpress.com