Will white-ball cricket be the new proving grounds for Tests and upcoming cricketers?

There was no Ranji Trophy last season and the onus was on limited-overs cricket for players to prove themselves. Barring the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2020-21 and the Vijay Hazare Trophy, the domestic tournaments have taken a hit due to the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic.

Conventionally, players who perform in the IPL will look to then cement their place by also replicating or bettering their show in the domestic tournaments that follow. With the notable absence of the Ranji Trophy, the debate would be the grounds on which a player is picked.

While consistent white-ball cricket performances translate to a spot in the national side, what would be the criteria when it comes to picking a side for the Tests?

---

Are selections based on white-ball cricket fair?

Considering the pandemic poses a grim possibility that it may never fully leave, the short format tourneys work well. It doesn't just mean a safety net of sorts for the players, but it also solves logistical and financial stress.

Bubble environments surely don't come cheap, and the cost of having a bubble scenario (which is likely to be the new normal until the pandemic persists), just makes four-day cricket an expensive affair.

Conversely, what it does also pose is the question of whether white-ball performances translate to better red-ball outings. Test cricket is a more grueling, tougher format of the game and those players suited to the shorter format might not necessarily fit into the Test side.

To answer the question on the selections being fair, there's less choice at the moment and the faith will be in the picked ones to make full use of their opportunity and hope they deliver.

The good news is that the talent pool in India is rich and deep, thereby providing plenty of options to identify potential red-ball specialists.

---

How will Test squads be picked then?

Unfortunately, there is no concrete or feasible solution at the moment other than to hope for the fact that the BCCI works around a schedule that allows the Ranji Trophy to return. Shorter windows and changes in formats can surely be tried out to see how results pan out.

Players' previous stats don't really hold much water when it comes to picking a squad. Temperament, fitness, adability and skill are honed over time and identifying players with these qualities may be the second option.

Especially when they haven't been exposed to domestic Test cricket in a while. The other option is to wait for the scenario to get better enough to resume four-day matches at the earliest.

How these player selections will pan out in the future is anybody's guess.