The national selectors had hoped for a smooth transition when they decided to bench Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane for the tour of South Africa.
The Ajit Agarkar-led committee had expected the top-order to flourish in the company of experienced pros like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul. But the batting in three innings in this series hasn’t inspired much confidence.
While the seniors failed to build on the start on Wednesday, none of the youngsters have shown the temperament to bat in alien conditions. The real test comes overseas when countered with the steep bounce and lateral movement and no amount of runs on docile wickets at home will be able to hide their flaws.
There was a lot of hope riding on Yashasvi Jaiswal’s talent and the left-right combination with Rohit at the top of the order was supposed to lend balance to the batting. A century on debut in the West Indies meant Jaiswal was ready for the battle but the three innings in South Africa have exposed his limitations.
If Centurion was a learning curve, Jaiswal showed that he is not comfortable against the uneven bounce. The Kagiso Rabada delivery was rising and as he tried to defend off the backfoot, he ended up dragging the ball onto the stumps. Certainly not the ideal manner of tackling a short-pitched delivery for an opener.
There’s no doubting Shubman Gill’s flair and technique but he is increasingly becoming a victim of the fallouts of the limited overs format. He showed a lot of caution and discipline at the start but couldn’t contain himself from poking at an angled delivery after doing the hard work.
Unlike Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer has played a lot of first-class cricket. He takes immense pride in always declaring that he is adept at handling short-pitched stuff. His stay lasted a mere two balls on Wednesday and was so sucked up with the thought of having to face a rising delivery that he ended up nicking an angled one behind the wicket.
The Indians began their innings after lunch on Day I after dismissing the hosts for 55. Yet none showed the character to spend time at the wicket, wasting an opportunity to call the shots in the Test.
Perhaps more game time with the red ball could be a way of amending such flaws since the ODI and T20 formats have dented the ability to face seam and swing.
Will it be fair to recall Pujara or Rahane or Hanuma Vihari or simply wash their hands of the performance by blaming the debacle on the wicket? The selectors and the team management will surely not be willing to take a step back though none has shown the guts to take blows and stand firm against a fiery attack.
The Tests against England at home will provide some succour to them resulting in a false sense of confidence but the year-end series Down Under will again be an eye-opener unless adequate measures are taken.
There’s no doubt Pat Cummins’ team, eager to regain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, will be following the developments closely.