The comeback – A bouncy road ahead for Zaheer, Gambhir and Sehwag

There is an old saying – when the going gets tough, the tough get going. This is the nearest comparative phrase one can imagine for the difficult journey ahead for Gambhir, Zaheer and Sehwag. In other words, the result of the Tests between India A and West Indies A is not important as compared to the equation for these seniors! This is a question of existence after all.

The selection for upcoming Test Series’ depends on these critical matches. To me, it appears that it is going to be a straight fight between the experience of seniors and the energy of youth. But, this is the factor which is precisely going to make this encounter spicy and irresistible.

In fact, not only the seniors, it has become very difficult for even the brightest newcomers (Unmukt Chand for example) to get a berth in team India. All of a sudden, there appears to a huge inflow of talent in practically every sphere of the game. Shikhar Dhawan has established himself, so the chances of Gambhir are not as bright as they appear.

Rohit Sharma is also standing firmly in the way of Sehwag. The recent contributions of Rohit and Shikhar are beyond any doubt and they are gradually transforming themselves into dependable batsmen.  Also, Cheteshwar Pujara is there at the top of the order. Before Sehwag and Gambhir can re-establish themselves, many other talented batsmen are also standing in the queue – ranging from Unmukt Chand, Murali Vijay and newcomer Mandeep Singh.

First of all, these senior are fully aware of the tough competition they have got to face. Therefore, unless they give excellent performances, they will not be able to beat the youngsters. In other words, scoring consistent centuries might be the bottom line for reviving themselves. Up until now, the recent inconsistent performances of Gambhir and Sehwag have definitely forced the selectors to contemplate the future of these seniors.

Also, age is another vital factor. Even if one is able to perform fairly well with the bat, other contributing elements like quick reflexes while fielding, taking difficult catches etc. also count. As far as the induction of Zaheer is concerned, his ability to swing the ball and rich experience of bowling a controlled line and length might prove vital. But again, the latest bowling sensation Bhuvneshwar Kumar has strongly marked his presence and it will almost be impossible to turn down his deadly bowling.

The biggest issue facing these seniors is that even if they do well, they cannot sustain their places in the team for the long run. They have already crossed 30 years, and do not seem to be getting any better.

After many years, the Indian team has found the right balance of players, despite most of them being young. Hence, providing opportunity to seniors on sheer sentimental grounds is not right. This is something which might take Indian cricket two steps back.

Still, it would be a delight to see these stalwarts performing well for India once again. Good wishes for the test against West Indies A starting tomorrow!