It’s well known that had Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, and Rahul Dravid been available for the inaugural ICC World T20 in 2007, they would have gone to South Africa. No selection panel would have had the courage to omit the ‘Big 3’ for a competition, and one would have never known what a new-look side under a fresh captain could achieve.In India, it’s the top stars who decide when they have had enough of a format or the game altogether. Selectors are usually reluctant to take a call about the future of a big player or leave him out of a series, as a bad result or a few losses would make them the fall guy. A decision may have been taken on the basis of form or fitness or may be part of a medium or long-term vision for the team, but looking at the bigger picture is rare among the wise men of Indian cricket.
A 50-over World Cup has gotten over recently, with the 20-over one less than six months away. There’s speculation over whether the likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Shami are part of India’s T20 plans going forward. None of them have, as yet, said that they won’t like to go. Having been starved of ICC silverware for more than a decade, they would dearly love to get another crack at it in the Caribbean and the United States next summer.
Suryakumar Yadav, who led the team in the T20Is against Australia and South Africa, has repeatedly emphasised that the current batch is keen to play “fearless cricket” and express themselves. Players like Rinku Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Verma, Jitesh Sharma, Ishan Kishan, and Surya himself have been encouraged to go after the bowling regardless of the match situation. Bowlers like Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, Prasidh Krishna, and Ravi Bishnoi have been limited to T20 cricket, with mixed results.
Many of them have impressed with their skills and attitude, albeit against teams that may not always have had all their big guns. But if these youngsters are only to be placeholders who are just expected to keep the seats warm before the seniors return, the whole exercise of giving them a go will be futile.
Deep reservoir of talent
Playing three formats at the highest level — and that doesn’t include the IPL — may be considered some sort of a badge of honour for the top players, but with so much cricket being played these days and India having such a deep talent pool, it would be counter-intuitive not to take advantage of it.
A star culture often brings with it hero worship, unrealistic expectations, and over-reliance on a few individuals. There is also the baggage of the past when dominance hasn’t translated into trophies. Hence, sometimes it’s better to go with a clean slate giving newer players the freedom to write their own script. When less is expected, it sometimes results in a pleasant surprise, especially when all players are on an equal footing. The names in the squad may not provoke the awe that the seniors induce, but India will remain among the favourites, and probably more dangerous, armed with a certain unpredictability and x-factor.
With Mumbai Indians replacing Rohit Sharma with Hardik Pandya as their captain, it suggests that it may be time for a change of guard.
India have only three T20Is at home against Afghanistan in January — apart from the IPL — before they have to decide whom to take to the World Cup. With the seniors not in action in the previous two series and the home series next month commencing just three days after the Test series in South Africa, there’s every chance that they will not feature against Afghanistan either.
But the likes of Rohit, Kohli, Rahul, and Bumrah will be part of the IPL and will be reasonably prolific — Shami’s injury concerns add uncertainty into the equation — which may trigger speculation about their chances for the World Cup. It’s here that the vision of the BCCI and the selectors comes into play. They need to be clear about their plans — whether they want to usher in a new era in the T20 format, or stick with the tried, tested, and trusted formula, which has not provided the desired answers in the past.