Ravi Shastri has seen the rise of most Indian players currently on the Australian tour Border Gavaskar Trophy during his successful success as a head coach, which includes the maiden Test series triumph on Australian soil.
Shastri and Rahul Dravid, the last two men to sit in the head coach’s seat of Team India, are perhaps the best apart from their replacement Gautam Gambhir to decide which 11 players are most likely to fire as a unit and deliver victory in the opening Test. from BGT Perthfrom November 22.
On that note, Shastri spoke on ‘The ICC Review’ and announced his playing eleven as the visitors begin their BGT defense ahead of the World Test Championship (WTC), which requires India to beat Australia 4-0 or 4-1 to secure a place in the WTC finals.
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“It is a horse for the course in many ways. Most of the teams will choose themselves, but there will be one or two cases where we may have to dig and dig deep,” said the former coach and 1983 World. cup winner.
To begin with, India may be without regular captain Rohit Sharma, who is awaiting the birth of his second child in Mumbai. That left the visitors to find the batter to partner Yashasvi Jaiswal as the opener. With KL Rahul and Abhimanyu Easwaran doing nothing in the unofficial Test between India A and Australia A, Shastri is confident Shubman Gill will open with Jaiswal.
“It is difficult and voters have a choice,” Shastri said. “You can push Shubman (Gill) to back up the order and have opened in a month in Australia. If not, then you have to come up with an alternative. Easwaran has not done well (for India A in Australia). But that’s how he batted in the nets, how Rahul batted in the nets but the selection of Shubman Gill was also there.
However, Shastri dropped Rahul at number 3 in the predicted eleven for Perth.
“Sometimes the run is not important, but if the player moves well, and if the feet move well, and you try and understand the game and you know if he has the game for the condition, if he has the right shot. for different pitches this is something you should look at when you start choosing abroad,” he said.
“I will watch them like a hawk in the nets, batters and bowlers, because for me as a bowler, rhythm is important. And as a batter, again, tempo and rhythm are important.”
One batter who impressed in the outing against Australia A was the wicketkeeper-batsman Dhruv Jurelwho scored 80 and 68 in two innings at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Shastri said he can “easily play as a batter (specialist)”.
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“What impressed me the most was (Jurel’s) temperament, his composure when the chips were down and the intensity he brought to the game – especially under pressure,” Shastri said.
“Under pressure, you can see a lot of players struggle. You can see them get restless. You can see them all over the shop. You can see the nerves come through. But in this guy’s case, his temperament comes out. Whenever the chips are down, even in the series against England (before the year) he stepped up to the plate. So I like what I see and I will be ready to give him if he is good.”
The former head coach believes having done well on the Australian field leading up to the BGT opener has put Jurel in the kind of confident mental space he needs to tackle the Aussies.
“I think looking at his form, he got 80 and 60, it will do him a world of good, and he got some shots. tail as well,” said the former India player.
He added that forcing Gill up from No. 3 could allow India to beef up the middle order.
“See, that’s why it’s important. If you push Shubman up the order, it gives you another option in the middle order. So how can India look for balance if Rohit is gone,” said Shastri.
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Among his choices for spinners, said Shastri one must do in Perth’s bouncy conditions that prefer fast bowlers, while two will be a luxury. On that note, he feels that Ravindra Jadeja can be preferred over Ravichandran Ashwin in overseas situations as the latter has an edge when it comes to all-round looks.
“I’m going with one spinner,” Shastri said. “I was in Perth last year when Pakistan played Australia; and in those conditions, having two spinners was a luxury. You need pace because the track has pace and bounce, and you need bowlers to exploit and keep the pressure on the batsman. Because even if you speaking of spin, you use it sporadically, even though i’m a coach.
“Which one to choose, Ashwin or Jadeja? Then again, the form is there now. Jadeja brings a lot to the table with his fielding and batting. So he will get it more often than not overseas. Again, how does he look and what is his form in the nets?” .”
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Talking about the skills of all, Washington Sundar’s name, and his good bowling form against New Zealand, could make India’s decision to pick one spinner a bit difficult.
The former coach also believes that playing one spinner gives India an option to bring in a debutant Nitish Reddyan all-rounder with seam-up options, giving India a fourth fast-bowler besides Jasprit Bumrah, Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj.
“Do they (Indian team management) want to risk going in with two spinners or do they want to take Nitesh Reddy? Reddy has to do the job like Shardul Thakur did as the fourth seamer. He can bat, give the bowlers a little respite so they can bowl in their spells.” short … and being a man who should be good for that eight to 10 overs would be my choice, looking at the situation.
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The opening match could set the tone for what to expect, so both teams will be looking to progress. But it can be changed in a long series.
For the first time the BGT will be contested over five Tests, which tells how the India-Australia rivalry has grown since the turn of the century.
Ravi Shastri’s XI* Prediction: Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja/Washington Sundar, Nitish Reddy, Jasprit Bumrah, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj
(* If Rohit Sharma is not available and subject to formation in leadup)
