According to reports, the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee has almost finalised the India A squad for the England tour and the two matches against the Lions would be Karun Nair’s audition for a Test comeback. A five-Test series in England will follow and Nair getting runs for India A would augur well for the Test team.
A 15 or 16-member Test squad would be picked, likely on May 23, for the five Tests in England starting on June 20. A bloated pack is not necessary, for players can be selected anytime from the shadow squad – the India A side.
Nair, 32, has forced his way back into the Test scheme of things by dint of his performances in the 2024-25 domestic season. He hasn’t played for India since 2017, but such prolific run-scoring deserves its reward.
But how about picking Ajinkya Rahane as well? The Mumbai captain had a moderate Ranji Trophy outing last term – 467 runs from 14 innings at an average of 35.92. For a player of his pedigree and experience, however, it shouldn’t be only about the hard numbers. Virat Kohli’s retirement has created a big void in the Indian middle order. Yes, Kohli’s average had dropped to 32 over the last couple of years, but a dearth of talent/quality in India’s Test batting makes one wonder if there is someone, a youngster, who can maintain a 30-plus average, especially in overseas conditions.
Transition has begun in earnest in the Indian Test team, and time and again the current selection committee and head coach Gautam Gambhir have given indications that they want to move on from the likes of Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara. But Indian cricket can’t be a prisoner of some individuals’ ego. Keeping pragmatism at arm’s length could be counter-productive.
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There’s a school of thought that Shubman Gill, set to be appointed as Test captain, should bat at No. 4. It means that Sai Sudharsan will bat at No. 3. No disrespect to Sai’s potential, but throwing a tyro in at the deep end in his first Test series, and that too in England, is fraught with risk.
A young cricketer ideally should be given a bedding-in period in a home series. Playing him straight away at No. 3 in English conditions might be an injustice to the southpaw. Yes, another left-hander had responded with back-to-back hundreds, when he was abruptly asked to bat at No. 3 in his first Test series, in England in 1996. But Sourav Ganguly was a special talent.
India’s batting line-up doesn’t inspire confidence. The likely new captain’s Test average is below 30 on the road. It has an opener who is easy on the eye but flirts with consistency. And the team’s wicketkeeper-batsman, the supposed X-factor, has lost a bit of his mojo after returning from a life-threatening car crash.
Against this backdrop, getting Rahane in might not be a bad idea. The 36-year-old has batted well for Kolkata Knight Riders in the ongoing IPL. It’s a different format all right, but Rahane’s IPL form in 2023 took him to the World Test Championship final. Fitness is not an issue with him and the necessary adjustments are expected from someone who is a veteran of 85 Tests.
Also, bereft of Rohit Sharma and Kohli, the dressing room needs a leader. It’s all very well to have an all-powerful coach who wants to build the team in his home image. But sport is about players and a side becomes weak without leaders in the playing group. After successive Test series defeats against New Zealand and Australia, India can’t afford to lose in England.
Maybe, India will benefit from going back to move forward.
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