CHENNAI: IN the last 12 months, the men’s cricket have featured in three ICC events — one semifinal and two finals. After every event, the talks of transition had begun, slowly, but steadily. The top three — Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul — have not taken part in T20Is since the last T20 WC. The likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan have made it to the Test side. The transition in the ODIs should begin now.
However, as the BCCI announced the squads for the tour of South Africa on Thursday, there is little clarity on the way forward, especially in white-ball cricket. Sharma and Kohli have asked for a break in white-ball cricket as per the press release by the BCCI. KL Rahul will lead in ODIs for this assignment, with Suryakumar Yadav set to continue as T20I captain. As things stand, Sharma is still officially India’s all-format captain despite not playing one format for over a year now. And in the absence of Hardik Pandya, who is still recovering from injury, there were speculations as to whether Sharma would come back and lead the team in the shortest format. The murmurs continued that he would even on Thursday.
While the BCCI has stuck to what they have been doing and picked a squad without the senior pros for the shortest format, there is no clarity as to whether Sharma would come back for the home T20Is against Afghanistan. The lack of answers — with just six T20Is to play for before the T20 World Cup in West Indies and USA — puts a cloud of uncertainty on the vision for the next global event. In fact, the situation was similar even in the ODI format until the Asia Cup where it all came together for India. Is SKY going to be the designated vice-captain to Hardik who has been leading India in T20Is since the loss against England in Adelaide? Are youngsters like Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad assured of their spots or will they have to make way eventually if Sharma and Kohli are picked again? What also makes it more complicated is that the T20 WC is being played immediately after the 2024 Indian Premier League. How much could change based on who performs there is yet to be seen.
As for ODIs, India do not have to play the 50-over format until July after this South Africa tour. Which means, Sharma and Kohli could well be back for the tour of Sri Lanka by then. This assignment, where Rahul is captaining, could be a stop-gap arrangement but there are some selections to be excited about — Gaikwad, Rinku Singh, B Sai Sudharsan and the comeback of Sanju Samson. Will they get a chance and whether they will cement their place in the squad would be interesting to see. The other intriguing thing, perhaps the most, is the statement of head coach Rahul Dravid a day after BCCI annoucing his extension. When asked about his extension, he said that he has not signed the papers yet. “I haven’t yet signed a contract with the BCCI but had discussions on tenure. Once I get the papers, I will sign,” Dravid told reporters in New Delhi.
The one format, where it seems, things are going steady is Tests. The team picks itself with all senior pros returning to the side. There is no surprises in the squad. No Cheteshwar Pujara, no Ajinkya Rahane, who made a comeback in place of Iyer and was the vice-captain in West Indies. Shubman Gill is expected to continue his journey as a Test No. 3 with Jaiswal partnering Sharma at the top. In fact, it is clear that Rahul would don the gloves if he plays with Kishan as backup. Jasprit Bumrah is the vice-captain and the only matter of concern is Mohammed Shami’s availability which is subject to fitness.
While interesting times are ahead for India in white-ball cricket, this series’ most important contest lies in the longest format. Having come close in their last tour to the rainbow nation, this is perhaps India’s best chance at winning a Test series for the first time in the country. And they want to leave no stone unturned as the senior players would be flying in early to take part in the intra-squad three-day game which will happen in the middle of a A-team red-ball series. Will they be able to? Only time will tell.