3 white-ball specialists who could be future Test match superstars for India
The Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) decision to fly in Suryakumar Yadav and Prithvi Shaw from a limited-overs series in Sri Lanka to join India's Test team in England hardly came as a surprise to anyone. This, despite the fact that neither has played any red-ball cricket of late.
For the last few years, the national selectors haven't been coy in promoting young and domestic talents to the longest-format based on their white-ball success. It certainly goes against the old paradigm of getting players through the Test grind before looking at them as multi-format players.
But seeing how well Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, and to an extent, Rishabh Pant have turned up, there's no reason for this trend to be discontinued. In fact, there are a few more white-ball specialists whose red-ball potential might go unnoticed in the glare of the IPL and multiple T20 World Cups.
Let's look at three such probables for India's Test future.
#1 Ishan Kishan
If one bona fide aggressive left-handed wicket-keeper can win India back-to-back Test series against Australia and England, imagine what two of them could do together.
Ishan Kishan is the product of the same Under-19 World Cup that thrust Rishabh Pant to the biggest stage. Both prodigies have been significant for their states in all domestic competitions and have been outdoing their performances every year in the IPL ever since.
Kishan recently became the first player ever to score a half-century on both T20I and ODI debuts. He kicked off the first knock with a four and the latter, with a six, flaunting a fearless attitude that has put him on the frontlines to be a part of India's middle order for the T20 World Cup, perhaps even ahead of Pant.
But that, in a way, takes the attention away from his equally stellar first-class record. Kishan has over 2,600 runs in the arena, including five hundreds and 15 half-centuries. His average of 37.53, coupled with a strike rate of just under 70 epitomizes the threat he could be if given a free rein against the red cherry.
The 23-year-old also has a Ranji Trophy double century (273 against Delhi) to his name, still the highest score for a Jharkhand cricketer and one that derived immense praise from his idol, MS Dhoni. If groomed properly and given the backing similar to Pant and Dhoni, India might unearth another middle-order dynamite and catch the red-ball world by surprise.
#2 Ruturaj Gaikwad
Virat Kohli is 32, Rohit Sharma 35, Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara 33. Soon, India will need some top-order batsmen to replace these bulwarks and just Shubman Gill and Prithvi Shaw won't do.
Ruturaj Gaikwad, who is mostly known for his consecutive half-centuries in his debut IPL season for Chennai Super Kings, is one leading candidate. The 24-year-old elegant right-hander has played 21 first-class matches for Maharashtra, scoring at an average of 38.54, with four tons and six fifties.
Gaikwad has a distinct ability to play circumspect cricket and while maintaining a decent scoring rate. His batting revolves around a nimble off-side game, which depends almost entirely on timing, making him an anomaly among recent IPL successes.
Often, Pujara's ultra-defensive and Rahane's proactive techniques have become a point of debate in Indian cricket. Gaikwad could be the middle ground between the two, a cool head who can bank on his temperament, nibble off the target, and let the bashers revolving around him be themselves.
#3 Rahul Chahar
Leg-spinners have all but disappeared from international cricket. Since Amit Mishra, India have neither felt the need for one - considering the ever-flexible and always-improving Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja - nor have they gone out of their way to add that variety to their arsenal.
But like with the batting line-up, India might soon need another frontline attacking spinner to take wickets at will. Kuldeep Yadav hasn't been able to regain the confidence of selectors since his early success. Axar Patel could wreak havoc in India but might not have the same effect in England or Australia.
Rahul Chahar doesn't have the individuality of Yadav or the thrift of Patel but he has the nous to manage pressure situations as big as IPL finals and knockouts with sheer amplomb. He has, as VVS Laxman says, the ability to bring a new 'mystery' to Indian spin attack.
A match-winner for Rajasthan and the Mumbai Indians, Chahar was India's only shining light in the third T20I against Sri Lanka. His three scalps had somehow kept India's hopes of winning the series alive despite defending a paltry target of 82 in the game.
Chahar has 69 wickets from just 17 first-class games at an average of 28.62. His best match figures read at a stunning 9/167 which came in a Ranji Trophy game against Goa in 2019. He takes a bit of time every game to settle but once he does, there's no surface where he can't take a wicket in.
Chahar's variations are subtle and his smooth action can provide him with the longetivity that's crucial in the longest-format. He can play a role for India that perhaps only Rashid Khan is capable of doing in the modern era. An all-format, all-weather leg-spinner could be a luxury worth putting in some diligent effort for.