As IND vs ENG 2nd Test heads to a 4-day finish, India Cricket Team will have a 9-day break before the 3rd Test in Rajkot. And even if India end up winning the Vizag Test, there are a few areas the players must work on before the final leg of the series begins. Barring Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jasprit Bumrah, none of the other players have done enough to warrant a break. With the squad selection for India vs England remaining Tests coming up, will Ajit Agarkar-led BCCI Selection Committee ask Rohit Sharma, KS Bharat Shubman Gill & Shreyas Iyer to go back and play the Ranji Trophy instead?
A senior BCCI official told InsideSport that the decision will be left to the team management and the selectors whether a player should go back to the grind of domestic cricket during a Test series.
“The team management and selectors should take the call. There are injury problems already and during a series, it’s not a great idea. However, if they think a player should go back and have a go at domestic cricket, there is no harm. All of them have come through Ranji trophy,” the official told InsideSport.
Indian batters in IND vs ENG Test series
| Player | Inn | Runs | Avg | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yashasvi Jaiswal | 4 | 321 | 80.25 | 209 |
| Shubman Gill | 4 | 161 | 40.25 | 104 |
| Axar Patel | 4 | 133 | 33.25 | 45 |
| Shreyas Iyer | 4 | 104 | 26.00 | 35 |
| KS Bharat | 4 | 92 | 23.00 | 41 |
| Rohit Sharma | 4 | 90 | 22.50 | 39 |
| R Ashwin | 4 | 78 | 19.50 | 29 |
Should India batters play Ranji Trophy?
Barring Yashasvi Jaiswal and Axar Patel, Indian batters have been poor in the two IND vs ENG Tests. Captain Rohit Sharma has only scored 90 at 22.50 while Shreyas Iyer has scored 104 at 26.00 and KS Bharat has scored 92 runs at 23.00.
Shubman Gill has a lifeline to continue at No 3 after a gritty century in IND vs ENG Vizag Test. But is that enough? He was given an ultimatum before the Vizag Test. But he still lacks confidence and playing Ranji Trophy will only help the young batter. Chetshwar Pujara is still raking up runs in domestic and should he recover from the back injury, he will certainly be looked at.
At this point, Shreyas Iyer and KS Bharat are on borrowed time. Once Virat Kohli or KL Rahul returns, Iyer will be the one to warm the bench. Rajat Patidar who made his Test debut in Rahul’s absence will continue. And even if Kohli remains unavailable for 3rd Test, India will have Sarfaraz Khan waiting.
In such a scenario, Iyer will have the opportunity to gain some confidence. The next round of Ranji Trophy matches starts on Feb 9. And Iyer can score some runs before returning for IND vs ENG 3rd Test which starts on Feb 15.
As for KS Bharat, he is likely to get the boot for young Dhruv Jurel. Since Rishabh Pant’s accident, India have had a hard time on wicketkeepers. But with Bharat continuing to fail, the team management could give Jurel a go. That means Bharat could be available for UP vs Andhra Ranji match.
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Will Rohit Sharma play Ranji?
India captaincy has made things difficult for Rohit Sharma. The India opener is averaging 22.50 in this IND vs ENG Test series. He has scored 24, 39, 14 and 13 in the four innings. Rohit has only scored two centuries and two half-centuries in the last 20 Test innings. Even though he has an average of 61.52 at home, it won’t be a bad idea to play in domestic cricket before the 3rd Test.
Not so long ago, Indian superstars were made to play domestic cricket. However, the trend nosedived during the Virat Kohli & Ravi Shastri era. The reason was players’ workload management. But BCCI President Roger Binny and chief selector Ajit Agarkar are in favour of domestic cricket.
“There is no harm obviously. But it is a decision of the team management as Rohit is a crucial player in T20 World Cup. With IPL after the England series, he will play a lot of cricket and could be an injury risk. So, whether he should play Ranji Trophy is a serious discussion for the team management and Ajit,” the senior BCCI official said.
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