“As a batter I always wanted to know what the opposition line-up was, so, while we have a good idea on what our playing eleven is, I’m not going to say anything now.”
This was Rahul Dravid, on the eve of India’s first Test against South Africa at SuperSport Park in Centurion.
“I’m not going to talk about conversations that may or may not have happened between me and players or the Board.”
This was also Dravid, when asked if he had any input on the split captaincy between red-ball and white-ball cricket and indeed in which Virat Kohli lost the 50-over captaincy after he had given up the job in 20-over cricket. Anyone who has followed cricket over the last two decades, when Dravid was a champion player, will realise that this is as much as he will ever say. There have been times, especially when there is a controversy at hand, that Dravid would speak at length — he never shied away from this responsibility as player or captain — but at the end of it, nobody would be any wiser.
If Dravid wanted to, he could have spoken about all the possible permutations and combinations, likely listing all the 18 players available for selection for the first Test, without giving anything away. No cricket team is obliged to reveal its playing eleven any time before the toss, but some choose to announce a twelve the day before, with the caveat that this can change without prior notice should someone pick up as a last-minute injury or illness.
In India’s case, for the moment, the good news is that the team knows what their best eleven is. This is not a small thing for there are several moving parts in play.
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All things being equal, the certainties are as follows:
Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul will open the innings. Virat Kohli will bat at No. 4. Rishabh Pant will keep wickets. Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami will be the two first-choice fast bowlers. R Ashwin will be the frontline spinner, in the absence of Ravindra Jadeja, who plays ahead of him overseas as batting all-rounder.
At No. 3 Cheteshwar Pujara is the incumbent, but runs have eluded him in the recent past and at No. 5 is Ajinkya Rahane, in a similar drought, and someone who has recently been relieved of Test vice-captaincy. Both these experienced campaigners know that there are others who are nipping at their heels, have one foot in the door, or whatever other cliche you may come up with.
Shreyas Iyer, who made 105 and 65 in his Test debut in Kanpur and subsequently played the next match, India’s most recent Test, has shown that he can both defend, control the pace of play and attack. Hanuma Vihari, who was left out of that home series and sent instead to South Africa with the India A team, is back in the mix, and he presents a tempting option. A solid player of fast bowling, he could be just the man to hold an end up if things get hairy, as he proved in Australia.
Kohli has placed a premium on India playing five bowlers, home or away, flat tracks, rank turners, seamers of fast pitches. If he continues on that path, it means only two of Pujara, Rahane, Iyer and Vihari can play. This is a tough choice at the best of times, but Kohli has never shied away from making these calls.
Logically, it does not make sense to jettison two experienced players at the same time. You would leave one out, giving the youngster a chance to establish himself over a few Tests, giving yourself the option to bring the old warhorse back if the stripling is not able to lift himself at the highest level. That said, Kohli has an almost impossible choice. Should he leave one of Pujara or Rahane out, who does he bring in at what spot, to play which role?
The path of least resistance suggests that Iyer comes in, in place of Rahane. Then again, when it comes to selection of the eleven, Kohli has a penchant for going against conventional wisdom. This leaves Kohli with another headache, nailing down the fast bowling composition. Assuming that Ashwin is the lone spinner in the mix, Ishant Sharma, with 105 Tests under his belt, is competing with Mohammad Siraj (10 Tests) in red-hot form, and Shardul Thakur (four Tests) who offers batting.
This jigsaw puzzle of a playing eleven will not be an easy one to assemble, but you can be sure Kohli will not be fazed. When he goes to the toss, he’s the version of a poker player who goes all in, backing his hand to be the winning one.
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