The No.5 slot for the Indian Test batting lineup

Indian cricketers (L to R) Sachin Tendulkar, captain Sourav Ganguly, vice-captain Rahul Dravid, and VVS Laxman pose photographers during a cricket fitness camp at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore, 18 June 2004 .

While the whole of India was having a concern on the dearth of fast bowlers, finding a good wicket-keeping batsman, consistent openers and aggressive spinners, for the most part of 12 years, from 1996 to 2008, nobody had any concern about the top order and the middle order of the Indian batting line-up. It comprised of Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman. They were the mainstay in the Test team, and never even shuffled positions throughout their careers. Like the famous spin quartet of the 1970’s – Erapalli Prasanna, Bishen Singh Bedi, S Venkataraghavan and B Chandrasekhar – they formed to be a deadly quartet of batsmen, which any bowling attack in the world would fear bowling to.

The Fearsome Four

While everyone watched in awe at how these stars performed at home and on away tours, at least one of them notching a huge score every match, no one took time in realizing that they are growing in age and would retire any time soon. November 10, 2008 was the date when the first amongst the four was lost. Sourav Ganguly had announced his retirement from Test cricket. Within a span of just a little more than five years, India is going to witness the end of an era of the batting quartet as Sachin Tendulkar bids a goodbye to cricket at his home ground.

These four, coming in to bat at No.3, 4, 5 and 6, almost always steadied the sinking lineup with their sturdy defense and striking offence. They always knew when to play the shots and attack the bowlers, and always stayed calm and composed, and erred on only a few occasions. Although individual performances mattered a lot, it was these players’ background work which made India reach the No. 1 Test ranking two years ago. With these stalwarts quietly departing, it has been a difficult job for the selectors to find suitable replacements, and the next task on road – 13 away Tests – can be a success story only if these four positions are taken care of.

The upcoming lot

During the last four years, immediately since the departure of Dada, the selectors started scouting for players who would take up international responsibility with ease. They have tried so many players in a limited number of Tests – Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, Subramanian Badrinath, Suresh Raina, Wriddhiman Saha, Yuvraj Singh, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja, and most recently, Rohit Sharma. Although they have tasted success with a few like Pujara, who is performing very consistently, and Kohli, who is working hard to maintain a good average, the position of various other players in the team looks quite unsettled, something for which a solution needs to be found immediately.

When Pujara was given a chance at the top order even as Dravid was still playing Test cricket, he made sure that the selectors gave him a permanent spot in the Test setup, at the No.3 slot once Dravid retires. In just 23 international innings, he has scored more than 100 runs four times, and has a highest score of 206*. There is no doubt as to the No.3 position in the team now, and it looks very much settled for the next few years.

So seems the case with Virat Kohli, who looks set to play at the No.4 position once Tendulkar retires. Being in a purple patch that he is at the moment, Virat Kohli slowly and in a steady fashion proved to the selectors that he could play the Test format brilliantly too, notching up healthy scores in the series against Australia in Australia, where most of the top order failed. Today, he has enough temperament and patience to occupy the huge shoes of Tendulkar as he has the ability to keep looking for huge scores, and the technique to play in foreign pitches with ease.

Once the transition phase began, VVS Laxman’s No.6 spot was tried and tested with success by introducing Ravindra Jadeja there. He got to debut in that slot as a third spinner and a good bat. Having three first class triple centuries to his name, there is no question in the selectors’ minds about his batting ability, and thus, we have found a player who could send down twenty overs and trouble the batsmen, and play a good knock at No.6 too. Except for the fact that his average today in Test cricket does not seem all that great, he looks to continue to play at that position, and more chances to him will mean that the batting average would definitely improve.

The No.5 dilemma

While at the moment the No. 3, 4 and 6 slots look fixed for Pujara, Kohli and Jadeja, the doubt arises on who will be able to pounce on the No. 5 spot? Will it be Rohit Sharma, due to his wonderful recent form, or will it be the run-machine Badrinath, who just notched a double century in the second round of Ranji fixtures, or probably the selectors are looking at Rahane, to give him a chance up there? Definitely, Raina and Sehwag do not look like being on the selector’s radar; they have immense work to do before they can get a chance there.

Badrinath, the run-machine.

While Rohit Sharma debuted just recently and played a wonderful innings under tremendous pressure, it has to be kept in mind that the score came at Eden, an Indian batting paradise. It has to be kept in mind that his chance in Tests was due to his ODI form. Although nothing wrong can be said about his lovely footwork and perfect timing, only time and continuous chances will tell whether he is fit to stay there or not.

Ajinkya Rahane has an unparalleled first class record after which he got a chance during the Australian tour to India, in which he wasted the opportunity given. He has never been out of form at any point of time, only, he has not hit that big score till now in the past one year that could attract the selectors’ eyes. This Ranji season will be a make or break point of his career and he needs to make sure that he remains as an option for the selectors.

The new sensation.

S Badrinath has the saddest story to tell amongst all. After having played 12 years of first class cricket and 160 innings at that, he has an average of 60, something that is enough to get him playing in an international team anywhere, other than India. He always manages to be amongst the top in the run-getters list in the Ranji season every year, but is still given a chance only in ODI’s which definitely is not his cup of tea. Even though he is already 33, there is nothing in him that suggests that age should be a factor. He runs hard between the wickets, is a good fielder at point and can throw the ball accurately from the thirty yard circle. Surely he deserves more chances to be proving his abilities at the international level.

Players like Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh, who still have trouble in playing the short ball, need to score heavily in the Ranji Trophy to be given another go in Indian whites. If there is any place for Sehwag remaining in the test setup, then that is only at the top. Murali Vijay’s place doesn’t seem to exist forever, and he needs to fight for that. A reincarnation of himself at No.4 does not seem likely at the moment. In the case of Wridhimman Saha, he not only has MS Dhoni to compete against, but has to outscore Dinesh Karthik too who has been a wonderful Test player for Tamil Nadu over the years. For both of them, there is not much of a chance in the Test team in the near future as no one can replace the consistent Dhoni at the moment.

Conclusion

Whoever gets the chance this time to go to South Africa, has two tasks: one, to score consistently and try and cement his place, and two, to get himself mentally prepared for facing the pace of a steaming Steyn and a pulsating Philander. If the South African series turns out to be a good one for the Indian batting setup, it will not only be helping the team progress in the next matches coming up, but will also lead the selectors to the discovery of a new quartet that will hold up the Indian batting line-up until the next decade, at least.