India Cricket Team resume The Test cycle on September 19 against Bangladesh after a month-long break. While India squad for the Bangladesh series is out and is on the expected lines, captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Gautam Gambhir, who will make his Test coaching debut for India, will be under pressure. Even though the Test regulars will return, there are selection conundrums in IND vs BAN 1st Test.
Selection conundrums
- KL Rahul or Sarfaraz Khan?
- Axar Patel or Kuldeep Yadav?
- Mohd Siraj or Akash Deep?
KL Rahul vs Sarfaraz Khan
With Virat Kohli and KL Rahul both out, Sarfaraz Khan made his much-awaited Test debut against England. And it never seemed he was new to international cricket. Sarfaraz hit half-centuries in both innings in his debut Test. But In five innings, he scored 200 runs at an average of 50.00 including three half-centuries. But fast forward seven months, Sarfaraz Khan does not have a guaranteed spot in India Playing XI.
As Kohli is a guaranteed starter, Sarfaraz has to fight for a place with KL Rahul. To back his case, KL Rahul hit a half-century in the Duleep Trophy while Sarfaraz scored 9 & 46. But more importantly, Sarfaraz was only a placeholder. With Rahul back, the Karnataka man is all set to start ahead of the Mumbaikar. The team management has given clear indication with Sarfaraz Khan set to play the second Duleep Trophy match for India B while Rahul will attend the Chennai camp ahead of the IND vs BAN 1st Test.
“In his last three Test matches, KL scored a century in South Africa, one of the best Test knocks in recent times, and 86 at Hyderabad in the last Test he played before injury. He was not dropped but got injured. So, he is fit and available, scored a fifty in Duleep Trophy, got match time, and he will start,” PTI quoted a BCCI source.
Axar Patel or Kuldeep Yadav?
Another potential dilemma is regarding India’s third spinner slot. While Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja are two designated spinners in Tests in the subcontinent, there could be a need for a third spinner. Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav are fighting for that one solitary spot. Axar Patel with his superior batting abilities could be the best choice. However, if the pitch assists a little bit of spin, Kuldeep Yadav could be a nightmare for any batter in the world.
Hence, the team management could take a late call on the third spinner depending on the surface for IND vs BAN 1st Test in Chennai. Kuldeep Yadav could get the nod ahead of Axar Patel considering how the Chepauk pitch has behaved in the past.
| Player | Mat | Wckts | Best | Runs | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kuldeep Yadav | 5 | 27 | 5/40 | 137 | 40 |
| Axar Patel | 8 | 16 | 4/77 | 449 | 84 |
Mohd Siraj or Akash Deep?
With Jasprit Bumrah back, he will lead the pace attack at least in the IND vs BAN 1st Test. But the question remains on who could be his seam partner. Mohd Siraj had been the frontrunner till the England series. But now, things have changed. Mohd Siraj hasn’t been as effective as he used to be.
In the entire England series, Siraj picked up only 6 wickets while Bumrah was far ahead with 19 scalps. Akash Deep impressed with three wickets on his debut. And now with 9 wickets in the Duleep Trophy match, he has made his case.
It is now on the team management whether to trust Siraj or give Akash Deep the chance if India go with two seamers in the IND vs BAN 1st Test.
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