India's tour of Australia: Test squad review - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

KL Rahul

India’s squad to Australia has finally been announced after a slight delay. With the selectors throwing in a slew of surprises, let us go through the side that will board the plane to Australia and see what it means to the future of Indian cricket.

But, before we begin, one real surprise has been the depth of the squad. 19 members on a tour is quite unwonted since travel by air replaced the ships, and, if anything, it goes on to show the level of doubt in the minds of the selectors. Indeed, it will be trimmed to 18 after the first game.

However, it proves to be a boon for various newcomers who have a wonderful opportunity to showcase their prowess. For a few oblivious, here is the squad for the tour Down Under:

MS Dhoni (c), Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, Murali Vijay, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Wriddhiman Saha, Naman Ojha, Ravi Ashwin, Karn Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammad Shami, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron

Also, Dhoni has been “rested” for the 1st Test match, meaning Kohli will make his captaincy debut in the longest format.

The Good

A new captain – Even though only for a game. India desperately needs a new strategist to shuffle things up overseas. The same old has simply not worked, and the end of the rope is not too far away. Kohli, aggressive by nature, may be “just what the doctor ordered”.

KL Rahul – If anybody deserves to be on the plane, it is “the other Rahul” – regarded in high esteem by his namesake. Dravid felt he should be selected on the tour to Australia albeit as a third opener. The 22-year-old has been in pristine touch, and his tally of 1158 runs at 52.63 in the first-class season shows for it. However, he may get a game only if either of Vijay and Dhawan fail to deliver; in any case, the tour would do the young lad and his confidence a world of good.

Plethora of seamers – India take with them 5 seamers, and, surprisingly, none of them is a tad bit similar to another: Bhuvneshwar is the best exponent of swing in the nation; Ishant hits the deck really hard; Aaron is the quickest in our ranks; Yadav has a nice outswinger going at a nagging pace; and Shami is lethal reverse swinging the ball later. With the pitches in Australia all supporting one or the other characterstic, one can be sure that the bowlers will be selected based on the conditions and pitch.

The Bad

Naman Ojha only as cover – Poor Naman definitely deserves to get a game in Australia over Saha, and even over Dhoni, having scored 3 successive first-class centuries when the A Team last played a series Down Under. He followed it up with a brilliant 217 for Central Zone in the Duleep Trophy. However, he flies as a cover and will return after the first Test if Dhoni is declared fit.

Ravichandran Ashwin – There is no doubting that Ashwin is a genuine spinner of the ball. But he is all at sea when it comes to bowling on wickets not conductive to spin. The school of thought that he should be bred is acceptable, but to breed a player in a series as important as this does not make sense. A leg-spinner (Karn Sharma) or someone who beats the batsmen in flight and guile (Pragyan Ojha) and drift ( Ravindra Jadeja) would be a better bet in Australian conditions. Ashwin averaged 62.77 in India’s last Test series Down Under, 33.66 in England and was wicketless in his only Test in South Africa. Gulping down some pride and a few A tours would not harm him too much.

The Ugly

Not selecting Pragyan – It beats the logic why the 28-year-old was dropped in the first place after being Man-of-the-Match in the last game he played in. Based purely on skill, Jadeja is not even close to Ojha when it comes to bowling. And why he is not in the squad still is a mystery for Sherlock. If the pertinent question is his action, he played the Duleep Trophy in half-sleeves, and his harshest critic – Bishan Singh Bedi – was all in praise for him. One cannot help but wonder whether selecting him over a toothless Ashwin is based solely on cricketing reasons.

The Surprises

Karn Sharma

Rahul really does not come as a surprise, as he was slated to make the team as an opener. However, the inclusion of Naman, Karn and Raina certainly does raise a few eyebrows. Having discussed about Naman, let us look at the other two, both fairly interesting and welcome ones.

Karn Sharma: ”You need a leg-spinner in Australia” – we are hearing this for quite a while now. And it is indeed correct. Australian pitches are way more conducive to wrist spin than finger spin. Apart from the variation, wrist spinners rely more on revolutions than purchase from the pitch along with being slower through the air. Karn has really impressed one and all, of late, and the recent lacklustre showing of Amit Mishra worked in his favour, as well. It remains to be seen whether he gets a go, though. Like Ashwin and Jadeja, Karn is no mug with the bat, either.

Raina – A deserving comeback. Yes, he has had his problems with short-pitched deliveries, but he has really shown that is a thing of the past now. And the argument that Australia should not be his first series, though valid, doesn’t apply to top tier cricket. Adversity is a friend, not an enemy. Probably. he won’t play the first game ahead of Rohit, but the competition is sure to keep everyone on their toes.

Verdict

An interesting new look squad and a welcome change from the same set of players. Though looks big, it provides countless exciting prospects and possibilities. The gauntlet has finally been thrown, and the supposed “rebuilding” phase seems to be over. Perform or perish, gentlemen.