Indian Squad for the World Test Championship: Major Comebacks and Setbacks
BCCI has released the squad for the WTC final. This squad has some interesting comebacks of veteran Indian players. The upcoming season is going to be a grand comeback of the players who are preparing for their next match by adapting new formats.
Rahane has been given a chance in the Indian team after 15 months. In January 2022, played his last test match in the South Africa Test series. Rahane’s performance for CSK in the IPL, even if it was in a completely different format, is seen to be a major factor in his comeback. The absence of wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant and middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer is also a significant factor.
After Shreyas Iyer’s back injury prevented him from competing in the championship game, Rahane’s comeback after 15 months followed a predictable path. Pant, on the other hand, has begun his healing process following the dangerous car accident that occurred in December of last year.
Rahane has had an outstanding IPL season. But the credit for his return can’t be given only to his IPL performance, Rahane also scored 634 runs at an average of 57 in 7 games during the last season’s Ranji Trophy.
KL Rahul, who lost his vice-captaincy and spot in the team for the last two Border-Gavaskar Trophy Tests against Australia, has also made the 15-man squad along with Rahane. Rahul, however, is unlikely to open for India. Instead, he can resume his role as wicketkeeper and bat in the middle of the order since designated keeper-batter KS Bharat might not be able to make the starting XI due to his batting weaknesses and lack of experience.
Team management is relying on Rahul and Rahane’s experience on English conditions, where it is expected that the ball will swing.
All-rounders Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Axar Patel are spin bowlers who have retained their positions on the team. The three of them probably won’t play together, though. The management may decide to give Shardul Thakur as the fourth pacer if the conditions are favorable for seamers, which would leave just one spot for a spinner out of Ashwin, Jadeja, or Axar.
Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj will be responsible for leading the speed assault in place of Jasprit Bumrah, who is also out due to a back ailment. Veteran seamers Umesh Yadav and Jaydev Unadkat will compete for the third seamer position. Unadkat, who also provides the left-arm angle, may be favored in light of the Indian team management’s reluctance to play Umesh in foreign settings.
Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan were dropped out from the squad. After his outstanding Ranji seasons, Sarfaraz Khan’s name undoubtedly would have come up for discussion, but this IPL exposed his vulnerability against top-tier pace.
India’s Test squad WTC final: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Ajinkya Rahane, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, KL Rahul, KS Bharat (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat.
