5 selection blunders that cost India in Test cricket in 2018
2018 has been an eventful year for the Indian cricket team. They’ve been on the road for the most part of the year with tours to South Africa, England and now Australia. While India have done very well in white-ball cricket, they have struggled for consistency in the longest format of the game.
The Virat Kohli-led side lost both the earlier Test series. They lost 1-2 in South Africa before losing 1-4 in England. Though they played some excellent cricket and competed really well in both those tours, they were on the wrong side of the result as they failed to seize the key moments during the games.
Another major reason for their failure has been the team selection. This is something that has been a big talking point and every time Virat Kohli announces the team at the toss, there’s always a big debate surrounding the XI.
It’s easy to assess in hindsight but to be fair, India have made some selection blunders in 2018. They’ve failed to read and assess the conditions well and eventually, these blunders have cost them Test matches and important ones too. Thus, here’s a look at some of the selection blunders that cost Virat Kohli and company.
#5 Dropping Ajinkya Rahane from the first two Tests in South Africa
Ajinkya Rahane has been a vital cog of the Test team. He was India’s go-to batsman during the previous overseas leg (from late 2013 to 2015). However, a poor run of form against Sri Lanka at home and Rohit Sharma’s impressive white-ball form and his success against Sri Lanka at home meant the Indian Test vice-captain was dropped from the XI.
With India playing five bowlers, it was Rohit Sharma who batted at No. 6 in the first two Test matches in South Africa. However, he failed as well, scoring just 78 runs in 4 innings. Rahane returned to the side at the expense of Rohit in the third and final Test match in Johannesburg. He struck a gritty 48 in the second innings on a difficult pitch to help extend India’s lead in the second innings. He showed why it wasn’t the right call to leave him out of the first couple of Test matches.
Thus, it was a big mistake to leave one of India’s Test specialists out of the playing XI at the start of a difficult tour.