India bank on 'pake pakaaye' domestic talents away from IPL limelight for Rajkot rearguard

The nervous energy and anticipation on the eve of a Test match in India is one of the many joys that the longest format brings with it. Sometimes there's an added excitement of a potential debut, where one could get to see a newcomer realize his dream come true as he receives his cap.

However, if handing Test debuts becomes a necessity rather than a luxury, the excitement could quickly turn into worry. A dominant force in Test cricket for the past decade, India seldom have had to fall back on their domestic depth as a contingency plan, especially at home.

The third Test against England at Rajkot is one such occasion where India's necessity could be domestic cricket's opportunity. Local boy and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, when asked about what he made of the inexperience in the batting department, said the following in a press conference:

"Pake pakaaye players hai, kabhi na kabhi ye time aana hi tha (they are readymade players, the opportunity was bound to come)."

He was spot on when he meant that inevitably, the time had to come when tried-and-tested players from domestic cricket needed to step up. And the confidence with which Jadeja had when he spoke about the fresh faces and their vigil in domestic cricket is exactly what India would be hoping for in terms of performances.

---

Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill - from supporting acts to the engine room

Yashasvi Jaiswal's sensational 209-run knock was a carry job that papered over the cracks in Indian batting in Visakhapatnam. While more experienced players like Rohit Sharma were expected to bat big, it was Jaiswal who showed that he was unfazed by the big occasion.

Scoring 52.78 percent of the team's first-inning runs all by himself, Jaiswal made the world sit back and take notice of his pedigree. Such marathon knocks come naturally to him, as seven of his eleven first-class hundreds have been scores of 150 or more.

As soon as KL Rahul was ruled out of the Rajkot Test, Shubman Gill, who had somehow held onto his place in the XI with a fine hundred in Visakhapatnam, suddenly became the second-most experienced batter for the hosts (22 Tests).

With three double hundreds at No.3 in first-class cricket, Gill's returns at the international level at that position were far from convincing. However, some knocks turn careers around and Shubman Gill will be hoping that Visakhapatnam would be the start of a redemption arc for him in the longest format.

Less than a year ago in the Caribbean, both Jaiswal and Gill were new to their respective roles in Tests. But now alongside skipper Rohit Sharma, they are a part of an Indian top order that needs to fire as a unit in Rajkot.

---

Opportunity for Rajat Patidar and Sarfaraz Khan to add more steel

The consensus after the second Test was that Virat Kohli would be available for the remainder of the series and KL Rahul would be back too, recovering from his quadriceps pain.

As Rajat Patidar trudged back to the pavilion in the second innings in Visakhapatnam, he would have probably wondered where this was his last chance in a while, with both Kohli and Rahul potentially back in Rajkot. From that sinking feeling to potentially being India's No. 4 in Rajkot, Patidar has another chance to replicate his domestic brilliance from the 2021/22 Ranji Trophy season.

In six matches, Patidar had scored 658 runs to take Madhya Pradesh to the title. Pipping Mumbai in the final, Patidar had stood out for his side with a sparkling 122 under pressure. Counter-attacking the spinners has been his forte and India will need more of that in Rajkot.

With more than four thousand runs under his belt and having already had a taste of Test cricket in Visakhapatnam, Patidar will want to make the most of the golden chance. Below him in the batting line-up could be a batter who was in the opposition during that Ranji Trophy 21/22 final and who also scored a hundred - none other than Sarfaraz Khan.

In the same season, Sarfaraz had scored a mind-boggling 982 runs in six matches at a Bradmanesque average of 122.75 with four hundreds. With an average of almost 70 after 45 first-class games and with as many as 14 hundreds, Sarfaraz's India call-up seemed long overdue.

Rajkot could be the place where arguably India's most prolific domestic performer from the past 3-4 seasons would get his due. Sarfaraz's ability to play the sweep shot and upset the rhythm of the spinners would also add another dimension to India's batting line-up.

Both Sarfaraz (26) and Patidar (30) would have spent months, if not years, thinking about when their golden opportunity would arrive. Nevertheless, it seems like Rajkot will provide the platform for them to show what they are made of.

---

India decided to reward domestic performers, overlooking inexperience

India had the opportunity to perhaps retain Shreyas Iyer in the squad, despite his poor form, because of his experience. However, they decided to drop him and added Devdutt Padikkal as KL Rahul's replacement.

Fresh off a red-hot Ranji Trophy 2023/24 stint with 556 runs from four games, Padikkal has arguably been batting like never before. He recently smashed a century and a fifty for India A against the England Lions and suddenly finds himself in the Indian dressing room.

The hosts also have an opportunity to try out young Dhruv Jurel despite just 15 first-class games under his belt. Averaging 46.47 with the bat, Jurel might replace KS Bharat in Rajkot. Bharat hasn't been able to take his chances and if replaced, it could be another instance of the hosts wanting to reward potential over experience.

---

Some of the recent Test selections might have sent a message that IPL performances also held some kind of weightage, possibly disheartening those who piled on the runs and wickets in the Ranji Trophy year after year.

However, the selection of the likes of Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, and Devdutt Padikkal for such a marquee series shows that the selectors are prepared to lean a lot more on domestic players, irrespective of their IPL performances.

In a country where billions wish to get a feel of the India cap at least once, such selections keep the flame of hope alive for those going through the rigors of red-ball cricket year after year. In the end, hope is everything.