Even before the era of social media trolling, BCCI and national team selectors used to occupy most of the space during this period. Discussion on Tea Teams for any cricket series were selected in every street and in every office in India. The selectors are ‘a bunch of clowns’, which has been one of the most commonly used quotes whenever a controversial selection has been made, but it no longer invokes the same kind of anger and frustration that Mohinder Amarnath had. A sentence of .. did in the early 1980s. Of course, there can never be a consensus on the selection of any team, especially in a country like India where we have a lot of options for every slot and everyone is fiercely arguing for their favorite players, which should be considered as the new age. Surprising numbers are endorsed by cricket fans. Feels so informed and aware in a data driven world.
Hanuma Vihari’s exit for the Test series is one of the hotly debated options on social media. However, some subtle points made by the BCCI and selectors and inputs from new coach Rahul Dravid have gone unnoticed. For example, Ajinkya Rahane, who miraculously escaped the ax due to his terrible run with the bat on the tour of England, is the captain of the Kanpur Test against New Zealand. Rahane’s treacherous form was not just about a series, a format the regular Test vice-captain has struggled with for a while and the conditions that made him such an asset to the Indian team.
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It would have been easy for the selectors to drop Rahane and move on. However, Dravid, who knows the uncertainties of red-ball cricket more than anyone else, has stood behind Rahane and may have played a role in raising his work profile, even if it meant just one-off Tests. Why should this not happen. Virat Kohli Mumbai will return for the Test which is the second and last match of the Test series against the Kiwis. For BCCI, the move suits them completely because if Rahane clicks as captain again and scores some decent runs, they can always push Kohli more to step down from Test captaincy. The board may never say it officially but BCCI’s moves in the last few months clearly say that the writing is on the wall for Kohli as far as the leadership role is concerned.
It is not unimaginable that the upcoming tour of South Africa could be Kohli’s last series as captain and if it happens then Rahane is probably the best option in Test cricket if he gets back to his batting form. Rahane’s short tenure (like that of Anil Kumble in the past) will allow the BCCI to prepare and seriously evaluate the prospects of young talent like KL Rahul or Rishabh Pant for long-term appointments. The board and selectors are stuck in an awkward position to handle this new transitional phase in Indian cricket and no one can offer words of wisdom better than coach Dravid.
Since Rohit Sharma cannot be named captain for all formats (with just one exception being the Test series in England), it is a smart move to keep Kohli on toes with someone like Rahane, who toured Australia. The team had exceptional leadership in 2020-21 (in a 2-1 win) and the added responsibility of captaincy made the Mumbaikar a more focused batsman. If Rahane rediscovers his old batting form just before a very important upcoming tour of South Africa, it will be a win-win situation for the BCCI.
Similarly, another good impression of Dravid’s input can be seen in Cheteshwar Pujara’s late and yet well-deserved upgrade as the new vice-captain of the Test team, albeit for just one Test. The selectors could easily have gone for Ravichandran Ashwin (leadership credentials well established) or perhaps even KL Rahul (viewed as a long-time captaincy prospect) as this is literally a formal appointment, especially when Team India I am playing And vice-captains don’t have big jobs in their hands. By appointing Pujara as the new vice-captain, it could also be Dravid’s way of saying that Indian cricket gives more importance to Test cricket and top performers and experienced campaigners. A Saurashtra player like VVS Laxman has never had a chance to lead a Test side in the past but someone who is approaching his 100 Tests could not have come at a better time than this.
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And last but not least, the return of Wriddhiman Saha as the first-choice Test wicket-keeper is also a refreshing move, especially after being dropped from the playing XI against England in the last home Test series. Of course, Pant was gate-crashed after his combative form in Australia and is likely to overtake Saha in South Africa as well. The selectors could easily have picked KS Bharat as the No. 1 wicketkeeper in the upcoming home series (for one Test and like Kohli’s selection brought back Pant for the last Test) by making arguments for future and grooming as Saha is 37. However, he has stood right along with the Bengal wicketkeeper. India may have a lot of resources, but by being surrounded by good performers in Tests over the last decade, it can be assumed that Dravid’s principle is working in team selection as well.
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