After a dismal finish to their World Test Championships 2021-23 Cycle campaign, in which they were defeated by Australia in the WTC Final last month, Team India is prepared to make the transition as the Rohit Sharma-led team takes on the West Indies in a two-Test series beginning Wednesday (July 12).
With back-to-back WTC Final defeats in successive cycles, Indian team management will try to create a roster for the future as the elusive ICC trophy continues to plague them.
Until last year, the Indians were a force to be reckoned with in the red-ball format, but injuries to key players and continuously subpar batter performance led the thought tank to rethink its strategy.
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In the last 13 months, India has played two Test matches on English soil and lost both. The first will be against England in the postponed fifth Test last year, and the second will be against Australia in the WTC Final 2023.
The primary reasons for India’s defeats in both early English summer Tests, which were separated by a year, were poor team selection and weak batting.
Cheteshwar Pujara Was Released Due To Poor Performance
The selectors dropped India’s No.3 – Cheteshwar Pujara – for the West Indies tour when the new WTC Cycle began. It remains to be revealed who will be India’s new number three after the seasoned top-order hitter from Saurashtra was shunned after failing to impress in both innings of the WTC 2023 Final against Australia at The Oval.
What are Team India’s options for the No. 3 batter in Tests?
The team’s management has three viable possibilities for the new No. 3 in the Caribbean red-ball format. The two excellent batsmen, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Yashasvi Jaiswal have been named to the red-ball squad. They were rewarded for racking up a slew of runs on the home circuit and in the IPL 2023.
Shubman Gill, the in-form batting prodigy who has been opening the innings for India across forms alongside skipper Rohit Sharma, can also be considered the number three batter. He is more suited to bat in the middle order.
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The 23-year-old emerging India star is already being regarded as the next big thing in world cricket and Virat Kohli’s heir apparent. Experts believe that Gill might be India’s next number four if Kohli decides to retire. As a result, making him bat one drop makes a lot of sense.
Yashasvi Jaiswal appears to be the favourite
However, because he has been doing it for a long time, Gill might open the batting for India against the West Indies in both Tests. In such a case, left-handed Jaiswal could be assigned to bat one-down, while Gaikwad might have to wait.
In red-ball cricket, Jaiswal, 21, usually opens for his Ranji team Mumbai, West Zone, and the Rest of India. However, coach Rahul Dravid, who has been one of the best batters in international cricket at one down, may want the left-handed batter to soothe his nerves first, and No. 3 isn’t a bad position to start with.
Golden opportunity for Yashasvi Jaiswal
While the absence of players such as Pujara (dropped), KL Rahul, and Shreyas Iyer (both out injured) provides a wonderful opportunity for young Jaiswal to establish his worth and solidify his position in the Test team.
The experienced West Indies bowling arsenal, which includes seasoned campaigners Kemar Roach, Shannon Gabriel, Alazarri Joseph, and Jason Holder, will pose a challenge for the rookie hitter. Dominica’s pitch has typically favoured slow-ball bowlers, which should bode well for the Mumbaikar.
However, a strong performance in the Caribbean will boost Jaiswal’s confidence ahead of the upcoming Test tours to South Africa at the end of the year and Australia (2024-25).
The new WTC cycle will be more difficult for India than the previous two campaigns since their speed bowling unit has weakened due to the absence of elite seamer Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami’s inability to pick up wickets. Mohammed Siraj, who has 18 Tests under his belt, will head the pace battery in the upcoming series against the West Indies.
Also Read: How does Ravindra Jadeja’s Test record look like in the West Indies? (cricfiles.com)
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