Playing the same team in all five T20Is against South Africa in the recently concluded series, Rahul Dravid surprised experts, fans and a daredevil, currently also a player in the Indian team. But the offbeat route was unintentional and not without purpose.
with T20 World The Cup is approaching (starting in the fourth week of October in Australia) – it was expected that Dravid would use the 5 matches against South Africa to try out all the players in the team.
It also seemed completely logical as there were not many T20 matches left. India World Cup squads to play for before selection: Two against Ireland this weekend, followed by 3 against England and five against West Indies when the team tours the Caribbean in late July and early August.
Also, India were beset with problems with the key players, which made the situation all the more fertile for actually experimenting and trying out bench strength. For example, captain Rohit Sharma and star batsman Virat Kohli Both were given rest to manage their workload. While neither of them was in half-form in the IPL, if they were in the team, it would have been difficult to keep them out of the playing XI for at least a few matches. Then KL Rahul, who was supposed to take over the captaincy in Rohit’s absence, got injured and missed the series entirely. This opened up another slot in the top order. In these circumstances, it appeared that all the batsmen on the team would get to play one or more matches. However, the same set of six frontline batsmen: Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Iyer, Pant, Pandya, Karthik: played in all matches.
Deepak Hooda and Venkatesh Iyer, both of whom were also part of the Indian team last season, did not get a single chance. Neither KS Bharat, as a wicketkeeper or batsman, Dravid preferred Pant for wicket-keeping in all matches. Ishan Kishan Playing as an opener. Ruturaj Gaikwad was played in all matches, although he looked under par, scoring only one fifty in the series.
The pattern in bowling was similar, in fact, more options were available.
Same set of fast bowlers and spinners: Bhuvneshwar, Avesh Khan, Harshal Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal and Axar Patel played in all matches. Kuldeep Yadav, who is on his way back after a stellar performance in the IPL, did not get any match. Nor did Umran Malik, for whom the ruckus had been brewing ever since his ‘hot’ performance in the IPL.
Dravid’s refusal to make changes in the playing XI came as a surprise to many and Dravid got the support of former head coach Ravi Shastri. “He made the right call,” said Shastri, who went to England this week to comment on the India-England final Test and the English domestic season for Sky Sports early next month.
“Rahul is trying to sort things out while looking for the best combination for the T20 World Cup and he has worked very logically about it,” Shastri said.
For this, Dravid went away from the most predictable path – giving each player one or more matches to prove his credentials. This would put the players under pressure, and perhaps even create panic in the ranks. Continuing the same for all matches, he set a tone for consistency. A player did not have to look over his shoulder to see who would oust him.
Clear communication of the strategy helped quell the feelings.
As Avesh Khan later said, he was far more stable and confident in mind as he was told that he would play all matches regardless of the result.
Dravid focused on giving players, instead of trying out all the players he thought could fill important positions and roles in the team. For example, the typical role assigned to Dinesh Karthik was that of a strong finisher. He returned to the Indian team on the back of a stellar performance in this role for RCB in the IPL and did so repeatedly in the series against South Africa.
Hardik Pandya has some challenge as India’s ace all-rounder. They didn’t need five matches to repeat it. But Dravid played him in all the matches to further strengthen the confidence he had gained in the IPL. The same principle applies to Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Harshal Patel, whom Dravid clearly sees as an integral part of India’s pace attack, along with the advances of Bumrah, Pandya and Shami. The promisers Umran Malik and Arshdeep Singh were asked to give time. However, Avesh Khan, who was somewhat below the radar in IPL 22 but was among the highest wicket-takers in the last two seasons, was picked for all five matches, suggesting that Dravid would give him some sort of advantage. See as the person who can complement the skills of Bumrah, Harshal, Shami and Pandya.
In spin, the comeback Kuldeep Yadav didn’t get a game based on his success in the IPL, while Chahal and Axar played in all five.
Today leg spin in any format is the top priority for all the teams/captains and the match winning qualities of Chahal in IPL were reaffirmed. As a left-arm spinner, Kuldeep is behind Jadeja and Axar in the pecking order.
The process of giving players who fit the leading roles ample opportunities to consolidate their positions goes along with the process of elimination, so to speak. Hence, Gaikwad, who got five matches but could not make a big impact, is no longer the frontrunner for the opener’s spot as the T20 World Cup draws near. But Kishan did himself a huge favor in this regard, scoring heavily with Rohit and Rahul going a step ahead to be selected as the openers.
However, it was the status quo for Shreyas Iyer. He did not have such a good series and there will be pressure from the challengers for his place in the middle order.
After the 5-match series against South Africa (only four completed), Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Yuzvendra Chahal – barring a diabolical collapse in form or a serious injury – more or less picked themselves up. T20 World Cup. These names include Rohit Sharma, Bumrah, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Virat Kohli, Surya Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja and a core side of 10-12 players more or less ready for WC.
This would not have been possible if the series against South Africa had tried to give every player a chance. If anything, it may have ended in catastrophe, with more questions thrown in than answered. This doesn’t mean that India’s T20 World Cup squad is almost ready, or that the remaining international matches don’t matter in team selection. Far from it, it is a very dynamic situation, and many places are still up for grabs. It is not cast in iron. Even a formidable man like Kohli would have to make a quick return to top form to thwart the challengers. Players like Sanju Samson, Deepak Hooda, Axar Patel have the skills, talent and experience, who are currently seen in a much better position in the selections. XI with a proven match winner, not just one living on past reputation or stats.
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