It is hard to understand
the criteria which Indian selectors have been using of late, the selection of
Test team on ground of performance in T20 Cricket and choosing players in T20I
encounters due to their five-day performances is baffling, it has gone to an
extent that it might break the confidence of players
The team selection for Australian Test
series has left a number of people highly disappointed. The non-selection of
Mumbai’s prolific run scorer Sarfaraz Khan has been the talk of the town. Sarfaraz
has been consistent run scorer in last few seasons and had a remarkable Ranji
Trophy record scoring 3505 Runs in 37 Matches at an average of 79.65. While his
selection in the squad wouldn’t have guaranteed a place in playing eleven as
the Test team seems quite settled but it would have meant rewarding his
performance in the domestic circuit.
Sarfaraz’s non-inclusion also reflects the
importance which Chetan Sharma led selection have given to the Ranji Trophy,
India’s premier First-Class cricket domestic trophy, used as yardstick for
selection in National Test team. Instead, the panel preferred to select another
player from Mumbai, Surya Kumar Yadav. It is true that Yadav, 32, has been in
sensational form in T20 Internationals but selecting him in Tests on the basis
of his performance in T20 Cricket is completely baffling.
Sarfaraz Khan - Yet to be rewarded for his consistency
The way Test cricket is being played has
undergone an incredible change in 2022, thanks to England, nonetheless both T20
and Tests are completely different forms of Cricket and require altogether contrasting
skills. But it seems the selectors have preferred Yadav’s T20 International
form as well as his Indian Premier League’s performance while selecting him for
the Test team.
The series of perplexed selection didn’t
stop there, Prithvi Shaw, another dynamic player from Mumbai was selected in
India’s T20 team on the basis of his 379 runs innings in Ranji Trophy, a four
day tournament. While Shaw deserves to be selected in the team, but the ground
of selection again shows the bizarre mindset of selection committee. When he
was performing well in List A and T20 games, he was ignored consistently but
his innings in First Class cricket has made him selected for the shorter
version.
The case of Delhi’s Dhruv Shorey is not
much different than Sarfaraz, the Delhi opener has been consistent force in
Ranji Trophy only to be ignored by the selectors. In 50 Matches, he has scored
3679 runs at a stunning average of 55.74. In the ongoing Ranji Trophy, he is
the highest run getter with 806 runs in 6 matches. He has been a run machine
for Delhi but the much elusive Indian call never came up and this time, it was
no different. In spite of KL Rahul’s mediocre Test record (45 Tests and average
of 34.26) and Shubhman Gill’s average return in 13 Tests (736 Runs at average
of 32), he has not been called up. Both the batsmen have been able to retain
their places in longer version on the basis of their performances in limited
over cricket.
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| Dhruv Shoery- One of the best performers in Ranji Trophy- The Reward never came |
In an era when the T20 franchises have
taken over the popularity of Test and ODI cricket, it has been observed that
the selectors all over the world have slowly and steadily started to prefer the
T20 stars in Test Cricket. It wouldn’t be long before the likes of Finn Allen,
David Miller, Surya Kumar Yadav are regular in Test Cricket.
It looks attractive when the Test Cricket
is played at rapid pace which helps in gaining results but the selectors have
to understand that different formats require skill set. which are poles apart
In T20 Cricket a batsmen’s focus is on the strike rate and score as rapidly as
possible. While Test Cricket tests a number of other prowess. The batsman has
to score rapidly, some time they are required to kill the time and on various
occasion his ability to survive a period is tested. Test cricket tests character, temperament and
ability set of the player on consistent basis over the period 5 days.
This is the reason why some of the experts
of the limited over cricket couldn’t fare well in Test Cricket. Jason Roy,
Martin Guptill, Suresh Raina, Glenn Maxwell, Fakhar Zaman are few of the
batsmen who have been highly successful in limited overs cricket but had
average success in Test cricket. A prime reason why Indian selectors should be
focusing on domestic cricket to pick players for right formats.
India is lucky to have such a vast pool of
players (thanks to huge population and cricket being no.1 game) that these
muddled selection policies haven’t affected them much. It is though true that
India’s performance will be tested later on when they will tour overseas without
their senior players to know whether the golden era (Oct 2016- Sep 2021) could
return or not?
But one thing India has to ensure that
some hard yard sticks must also be set up to select the men who decide the fate
of number of young budding cricketers, till then we have to cope up with these selection
gaffes.
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