Shamik Chakrabarty, Galle
We are so close. Less than two days from now, a Test series is commencing in Galle, which, on the face of it, is revelling in self-aggrandisement. India are fifth in the current World Test Championship (WTC) rankings. Sri Lanka are a place behind, in sixth.
Forget it. Indian cricket is never an unrequited chase of fanfare and glory. Whether Shubman Gill’s boys can win seven Tests out of the nine left in the current cycle to qualify for the WTC final next year is a different matter. But make no mistake, if they slip on the banana skin — the forthcoming two-match series — the players and their head coach will have to take all the criticism on the chin, unfortunately. That batting-wise, India’s fortunes will depend on a quartet is a dead giveaway — KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant and, of course, Gill.
With the liberty, rather temerity, of tweaking William Shakespeare a bit — all’s well that begins well. This is in a sporting context and, from that perspective, how wonderful it would be to see Rahul hit the ground running. He is the lone batting survivor in this squad from that 2017 series in Sri Lanka. Back then, he contributed well to the tourists’ 3-0 clean sweep. At 34 years of age, he is now a senior statesman who has been bestowed with Test vice-captaincy a little late in his career. Back then, India were enjoying a period of happiness in red-ball cricket. Now, it’s a period of angst.
Before vocal fans start wailing on social media over this line, wait awhile and give perspective a chance. This column has zero intention of pointing towards any dressing-room discord. The angst is a by-product of the falling standards in the longest format. Two home-series whitewashes, against New Zealand and South Africa, within a period of less than 18 months have brought India out of their reverie. Coming to Sri Lanka early for this Test series is a positive outcome.
You can’t win matches in the purest and toughest format of the game by having a turnaround time of just two or three days, as was the case against South Africa last winter. It was an assignment that came close on the heels of India’s Australian sojourn for a white-ball series. Credit to Gill for driving home his point and ensuring proper preparation time for his team for this tour of duty.
Sticking to batting, the skipper needs support from the senior players and Rahul’s role becomes very important. As Morne Morkel, the bowling coach, said at the press conference today: “You know, it’s handy to have that experience. I think KL, the last couple of years, the way he’s been leading [the batting] up front — he has been exceptional.”
For a long period in his career, consistency has played peek-a-boo with Rahul’s batting. Over the last couple of seasons, however, under Gautam Gambhir as the head coach, he has found another gear. In 18 Tests during this period, he has scored 1,290 runs, including four centuries. His average has gone up to 43, vis-à-vis his career average of 36.42. To win in Sri Lanka, the senior players will have to deliver. And Rahul, being the most experienced of them all, along with Jadeja, will have to lay down a marker.
The team cannot be solely dependent on Gill scoring a gazillion runs.
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