India vs Afghanistan: BCCI treating historic Test as unwanted nuisance, squad selection reflects its disdain

There is something intrinsically wrong with the BCCI. Not so long ago they declared that Test cricket was the real thing. They backed this by boosting Cheteshwar Pujara into the Rs 5 crore bracket for central contracts only because all eight franchises found that he was not good enough to be part of their IPL plans. For some strange reason, the board believed he had to be compensated for his incompetence. Test purists were delighted. They thought pre-eminence was being accorded to Test cricket. However, they now find that the whole rigmarole was nothing more than an elaborate joke. Their ire is that India’s captain Virat Kohli, the biggest draw and name in Indian cricket, has been permitted to indulge in some local England county cricket rather than turn out for India in a historic Test match. So much for BCCI’s concern for the hallowed status of Test cricket! [caption id=“attachment_4462249” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Ajinkya Rahane has been named India’s Test captain in Virat Kohli’s absence. Reuters[/caption] Amitabh Choudhary, secretary of the board, while agreeing that there was an anomaly here, glibly added that they were allowing Kohli to get used to English conditions only because they hold Tests in England to be of paramount importance. So why did they not think of sending the two or three opening batsmen also for a stint in English conditions? It would have benefitted them and the team too in England. The BCCI of today, which is like some khichdi of sorts, must realise that if it does not appreciate, respect and honour Test cricket, none of the players, fans, sponsors, telecasters or media will do so either. The Test against Afghanistan is a historic one and it should have been bestowed all the earnestness, pomp and grandeur associated with such a momentous event. Instead, it is being treated as an unwanted nuisance that has to be gone through before the more challenging series against England. Thus, it was no surprise that most of the attention at the media conference addressed by chairman of selection committee, MSK Prasad and Choudhary, was centered around the indifference to Test cricket. Be that as it may, another question doing the rounds was: Has Rohit Sharma played his last Test? The middle-order batsman, on whom so much of time and effort was invested, does not have much of Test record in the first place, with just two scores of 50-plus outside the subcontinent. He was a complete flop in Tests in South Africa. The only way he could have got back into the Indian Test team for England would have been if he had a good Test showing between now and July, when the Tests start. However, the national selectors were having none of it. They were firmly looking ahead and thus preferred to invest in youth instead. Indications are that Rohit’s repeated failures have virtually ended his Test career. Rohit, of course, retains his place in the T20 and ODI teams. But it is the loss of his spot in the ‘real thing’ that will hurt the 31-year-old batsman. The selectors have opted for young Test triple-tonner Karun Nair for the solitary Test against Afghanistan starting in Bengaluru on 14 June. This considerably muddies the waters for Rohit as there are no other Tests lined up before the start of the England Test series. He thus has no opportunity to present his case. On the other hand, the India ‘A’ team, led by Nair, gets to play three four-day matches in England just before the Test series. Rohit, however, is not part of that team either. If Rohit’s exclusion, despite being recently put in the central contracts A Plus super elite category of Rs 7 crore stood out, the inclusion of Mohammed Shami was a bigger surprise. The fast bowler was not given a central contract with the others because he was embroiled in a messy domestic issue. Subsequently he has hardly played cricket, a handful of extremely forgettable performances for Delhi Daredevils in the IPL notwithstanding. The only reason he has been included in the side for the Afghan Test is with the hope that he benefits from the training with the national team. If he rediscovers his old form he could be an asset in England, at least that is the thought process. Consequently, Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, who would be the frontline pacers in England, have been rested. Ajinkya Rahane, expected to bat in the middle order, gets the honour of becoming the Indian Test captain. Much of the line-up has gone along expected lines, with Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul vying for the opening batsmen’s slots. It would be interesting to see the sort of pitch provided for the solitary Test. Last season the Indian team wanted to be challenged at home on green tops. If they opt for a similar approach, with the tour of England in mind, then we could see three or even four pacers in the playing XI. Despite the absence of Kohli, this Test could turn out to be an interesting one. All the exciting youngsters are in the India ‘A’ teams. Andhra wicketkeeper KS Bharath, Karnataka pacer Prasidh Krishna, Maharashtra medium pacer Rajneesh Gurbani, Under-19 batsmen Prithvi Shaw and Shubham Gill, and left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed are cricketers to watch out for in the near future. The captains for the India ‘A’ teams, Nair and Shreyas Iyer are full of promise and their regular berths in the main national team is well within reach. They have an exciting assignment ahead of them. Their task will be to not only impress the selectors with their ability, but also ensure that others with potential are groomed alongside. Incidentally, the shortlisting of the India ‘A’ teams might have been with the help of India ‘A’ coach Rahul Dravid. But as Prasad said about his team’s selections, “we have seen every substantial performance in domestic cricket last year. All the success stories have been accommodated in one of the five teams. It is now up to them to fulfill promise.”