CHENNAI: The long rope has ended for Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane. It seemed like an eternity, but it had been coming. The two middle-order batters, who have played an integral role in India's rise to the top of world rankings and were architects of memorable wins home and abroad, have not been included in the 18-man squad for the upcoming two-match Test series against Sri Lanka starting March 4.
The selection committee, which convened on Saturday, have also unanimously picked Rohit Sharma as captain, making him an all-format skipper for the time being. While chairman of the senior national selection panel Chetan Sharma revealed that Rohit will lead the Test team as and when he is available, it is understood that the committee will take it one series at a time. The only new face in the squad is Saurabh Kumar, a left-arm spinner from UP.
Captaincy aside, the decision to not consider Pujara and Rahane for the series is the first bold step this panel has taken with regards to transition. In fact, former captain Virat Kohli had mentioned the need to undergo a smooth transition as early as the England tour. But the change of captaincy and support staff meant the selectors continued with Pujara and Rahane for the Test series against New Zealand and South Africa. Although head coach Rahul Dravid had backed the experienced duo to find their form back, the two have been on borrowed time of late.
It is understood that the selectors were keen on making the changes at the conclusion of South Africa tour itself, which India lost 1-2 after being 1-0 up. "The selection committee after a long deliberation has come to this decision. We spoke to them (Pujara and Rahane) earlier and told them that we will not consider them for the two matches against Sri Lanka. The doors are open for them. There is no problems and we told them to play Ranji Trophy," the 56-year-old Sharma, said.
The selectors and the team management have been looking at Hanuma Vihari, Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer as options for No 3 and 5. While Gill has been earmarked as a future No 3, for the time being, he will have to fight it out with Shreyas for the No 5 slot. Vihari is the first-choice to replace Pujara at No 3 as the team management believes his temperament and ability to bat for long periods is suited to the position.
Even senior pacer Ishant Sharma and wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha have been left out of the squad. The pacer has been struggling with fitness issues and, after missing the first round of Ranji Trophy matches for Delhi, is set to join the team for the second match against Jharkhand.
Among the four, Saha hasn't really had any dip in form and even made a crucial contribution of 61 (n.o) in the first Test against New Zealand. Although Rishabh Pant has been around, India have used Saha at home thanks to his superior keeping skills against spinners. However, with KS Bharat waiting in the wings, the selectors have decided to look at the future and drop the 37-year-old.
"There is nothing wrong if we have told the four of them that we are not considering them for these two matches. We will consider them later. In the meanwhile let's see how the others do. We are nobody to close doors on anybody. We have told them a period, I have requested all four of them to play Ranji, which is very important because the selectors are looking closely at Ranji Trophy. That is how we know where you are at. We spoke to the four of them immediately after South Africa, and told them we are not picking them for these two matches," Sharma said.
Meanwhile, the selectors have also picked Ravindra Jadeja, who has been unavailable since the New Zealand series. Shardul Thakur has been rested, while Rahul and Washington Sundar were not available because of injury.
Test squad: Rohit Sharma (capt), Mayank Agarwal, Priyank Panchal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant (wk), KS Bharat (wk), R Ashwin (subject to fitness), Ravindra Jadeja, Jayant Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah (vice-capt), Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Saurabh Kumar.
T20 squad: Rohit Sharma (c) Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan (wk, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Hooda, Bumrah (vc), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Harshal Patel, Md. Siraj, Sanju Samson (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Y Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Avesh Khan.