3 reasons why R Sai Kishore is the ideal successor to Ravindra Jadeja in India's Test setup
Tamil Nadu captain and left-arm spinner R Sai Kishore brought his team roaring back into their ongoing Ranji Trophy 2023/24 semifinal against Mumbai on Day 2 as he picked up a sensational five-wicket haul.
In the morning session on Sunday, Sai Kishore ran through the Mumbai batting line-up and reduced them from 91/3 to 106/7. Despite having just 146 runs on the board in their first innings, Sai Kishore ensured Tamil Nadu had a genuine chance of taking a first-innings lead.
Ravindra Jadeja has been an invaluable asset to the Indian team, especially in the longest format. However, he is already 35 years of age and there will come a time when a transition will be needed in the spin department.
India do have the likes of Axar Patel and Washington Sundar in their ranks, but here are three reasons why R Sai Kishore deserves to be looked at too as a long-term heir to Jadeja:
#3 Bags of experience
R Sai Kishore has gone through the rigors of domestic cricket and has already faced several match situations while bowling in different conditions against a range of opposition. Being Tamil Nadu's captain also suggests that he has leadership traits and the ability to read situations.
The experience gained from such a stage helps massively as seen in the ongoing Test series against England. Fresh faces like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel and Akash Deep have shown that they are unfazed by the step-up and with 38 first-class games under his belt, Sai Kishore could also hit the ground running.
#2 Terrific bowling record
R Sai Kishore's primary skill of left-arm spin has seen him pick up as many as 160 wickets in 38 first-class games at a fine average of 24.29. He also has nine five-wicket hauls and one instance of picking 10 wickets in a game.
The Tamil Nadu skipper is enjoying an incredible season with the ball as he is at the top of the wicket-taking charts for Ranji Trophy 2023/24. He has picked up a staggering 53 wickets from nine games at an average of 18.49. Such sensational numbers warrant him a chance to be considered for a potential Test call-up.
#1 All-round ability
Arguably the biggest reason why R Sai Kishore could prove to be an asset to the Indian team is because of the all-round ability he brings to the table. Especially in home conditions, India have often focused a lot on having batting depth and the likes of Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin give them that freedom.
Axar, Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav have also shown that their contributions with the bat can make a massive difference to the Indian team. Sai Kishore is a much better batter than his average of 16.44 suggests and has often promoted himself up the order this season whenever Tamil Nadu have been in a spot of bother.
There's enough potential if R Sai Kishore consistently gets the opportunity to showcase his skills with the willow. India after a point will need to look at life after Jadeja and Sai Kishore will keep believing that the maiden Test cap isn't far away if he continues to be consistent.