IPL trumps Ranji? India Test Reboot raises more questions than answers

With WTC Final 2023 over and resulting in yet another failure, Team India have begun the Test Reboot, months after T20 reboot. Old gun, Cheteshwar Pujara, who was considered India’s wall in Test cricket, is out. BCCI Selection Committee has replaced him with two youngsters Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad for IND vs WI Test series. But it raises more questions than it provides answers.

• Q1. What happened to Suryakumar Yadav and India’s flamboyant Test approach?
• Q2. Why Ajinkya Rahane was brought back as the vice-captain just a match after he made an official comeback?
• Q3. What are the criteria to prove Test worth when it comes to Sarfaraz Khan?
• Q4. Is IPL still the way to the Test team?
• Q5. Why make Cheteshwar Pujara the scapegoat when captain Rohit Sharma has been struggling with form in the first place?

Also Read: IND vs WI Squad announced, Umesh & Pujara dropped, Rahane returns as VC

The questions will not be answered because the days of the press conference are over. There won’t be any answers.

At first glance, it may seem that underperformers have been punished. Chetshwar Pujara and Umesh Yadav both were not up to the standard in the WTC Final and were axed.

Mukesh Kumar, who has been consistent in the domestic red-ball circuit, has found a place. With Mohammad Shami rested, Mukesh will have his chance against the West Indies. Navdeep Saini, who last played a Test for India in the historic Gabba Test, also finds a place despite not putting up consistent performances. He played two matches for Rajasthan Royals and returned with 3 wickets at an economy rate of 12.33.

IPL over Ranji Trophy?

The unwritten truth in Indian cricket continues to be IPL is the only way. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad both backed their claims with IPL performances. Sarfaraz Khan who struggled against high-quality pace bowling found no way in. Compared to 556 runs in 9 innings, Sarafaraz could only manage 53 runs at a strike rate of 85.48, earning him no favours from the selectors.

Yashasvi Jaiswal scored 315 runs in Ranji Trophy in 9 innings and backed that up with 625 runs in IPL. Thus, he found a place. Similarly, Ruturaj Gaikwad too backed up his domestic show with IPL performances. Those who failed did not find a place in the national team.

Why Ajinkya Rahane?

There is no doubt that Rahane deserves to keep his place after a fighting comeback in the Test team. With scores of 89 and 46 in the WTC Final, Rahane made a difference. But why is he the vice-captain again?

It’s difficult to answer. The only reason could be that BCCI is looking for a stop-gap solution until someone like Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer or Jasprit Bumrah return from injuries.

However, with Shubman Gill considered a captaincy option for the future, it would have made sense had he been made the vice-captain. Or, the other option was to not name a deputy at all as BCCI did for the WTC Final.

Where is Suryakumar Yadav?

Not so long ago selectors and former players all went gaga over SKY as a natural aggressor in the middle order. With Rishabh Pant set for long-term injury layoff and Pujara dropped, it was time for SKY to shine. But selectors gave him just one innings to prove his worth in Test. And after the WTC Final, where he warmed the bench, he has been dropped without any clear explanation.

India’s Test squad for WI Tour: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), KS Bharat (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat, Navdeep Saini.

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