Rahul Dravid picks KL Rahul and Karn Sharma in his Test squad to tour Australia
A crucial selection meeting to pick the team for the Test series in Australia is scheduled to happen in Mumbai on Tuesday. According to former captain Rahul Dravid, Karnataka youngster KL Rahul and Railways leg-spinner Karn Sharma deserve to be part of the contingent for the Tests down under.
The 22-year old Rahul had an exceptional Ranji Trophy season for his state and showed his appetite for runs by scoring hundreds in each innings of the Duleep Trophy final. Karn Sharma, who played the lone T20I in England, has found praises from a few quarters for his ability to keep runs under check and also make handy contributions down the order.
“Pick Rahul while he is scoring”
Heaping praises on Rahul, the former India No.3 said it would be the right move to pick the youngster when he is batting well and is scoring runs with the bat.
"He has scored over 1000 runs in the domestic season, looks in really good form with twin hundreds in the Duleep final, so if you are going to give a youngster an opportunity, it's good to pick him if he's in good form and actually playing well.You are picking him, at least initially, as a back-up opener,” Dravid said.
On his reasons to pick Karn Sharma as the second spinner over Jadeja, Dravid felt that "wrist spinners have a greater chance to succeed in Australia especially if they bowl slightly quicker in the air and have a good googly."
The leggie has picked up 66 wickets in 27 matches, since making his first-class debut in 2007.
Shikhar Dhawan also found a vote-of confidence from the 41-year-old, who felt that the southpaw needs to given another chance in Test cricket as he has a good record over the last 12 months.
Raina may have to wait
The former Indian captain also said that experienced opener Gautam Gambhir and left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja would not be required for the tour. He also added that Suresh Raina would have to wait a bit longer for a recall to the Test team.
Stuart Binny, whose selection for the England tour raised a few eyebrows, also didn’t find a mention in Dravid’s squad as he thought that the 30-year old wouldn't be very effective in Australian conditions.
"In Australia, India will need six batsmen, given the kind of pace attack that Australia has and the wickets they will be up against.Pick three quality fast bowlers and a spinner, and hope you put enough runs on the board to give your bowlers enough time to pick 20 wickets," he added.
As for the fast bowlers, Dravid picked Bhuvneshvar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami and Varun Aaron, stating that India would need more pace on the hard and bouncy pitches of Australia.
"With the Kookaburra ball, you need to put in a lot more to get more out of it, you need some pace. So, in my opinion, guys like Umesh and Aaron become more valuable." he said.
Dravid hopes India remain consistent
Despite slipping to sixth position in the rankings, Dravid sounded optimistic about India’s chances in the Tests.
"If they keep playing good cricket like they have, things will turn. When you have a young side, you are going to have some ups and downs but at least we've seen in the last three tours that they are going in the right direction.
"They came close a couple of times in South Africa and New Zealand and actually won a Test match in England but couldn't maintain that consistency. Hopefully, they go one better in Australia." he said.
Rahul Dravid's squad for the Australia Tests
- M Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni, Wriddhiman Saha, R Ashwin, Karn Sharma, Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron.