The West Indies series Test series is just a few days away now, and kickstarts on October 2nd, while the India squad is due to be announced by Wednesday. And once again, the question is — who will be in, and who will be out? Well, there isn’t much gap between the Asia Cup, this WI series, and also the Australia ODI series, that follows. So expect a few surprise inclusions and omissions for sure, but largely it could be the side that went to England.
Time to see beyond Karun Nair & Sai Sudharsan
Still, the problem that arose there was the no. 3 position. Sai Sudharsan and Karun Nair were the two men tried by India — and to put it bluntly, both failed. The Karnataka batter scored 205 in four encounters at an average of 25.62, while the Tamil Nadu youngster could only manage 140 in three, at an average of 23.33.
Since the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee is to decide the team for WI series in a day’s time — it is only correct to explore a few options other than the two discussed. Shreyas Iyer could certainly be the one name in contention. He has played 14 Tests, scoring 811 runs at an average of 36. Recently, he had a poor outing against AUS A, where he only scored 8, and then in Duleep, scored 25 & 12 vs Central Zone in semis. So, a 50-50 chance only.
No room for Sarfaraz Khan
Another option is Sarfaraz Khan. An average of 37 for India, scored runs for IND A vs ENG Lions (92) and then was dropped in the next game. Post that scored well in the Buchi Babu, and then after losing a ton of weight, suffered an injury. So he looks out of contention. But if not these two, then who?
Former India opener WV Raman has an idea that might not resonate with many, but could augur well for Indian cricket. Talking exclusively to InsideSport, he went on name all-rounder Washington Sundar as his no. 3 preference. The reason being, that allows coach Gautam Gambhir to include an extra batter/bowler in the line-up, depending on the situation.
Washington Sundar just does the job
“It may sound strange, but I may look at Washington Sundar as a No. 3 for Tests. Look Sai Sudharsan is fantastic, but where I’m trying to get at is, if Washi is played at the top of the order.. he can of course give you a lot of overs as well, and can get you wickets. He started his career as an opener.
“I’m not trying to run down any top-order batter here, but if you look at how Washi and Ravindra Jadeja have batted, they are batting as good as anyone else in the team. They should be put on the same pedestal as the top-order batters,” the veteran said.
As for other options, especially Sarfaraz, he was pretty clear that the Mumbaikar could miss out when the team plays in India. There are just too many players in contention at the moment, and even the deserving ones need to wait for their turn, as only XI can go on to play.
“You would probably find it difficult to slot in batters (on Sarfaraz Khan). In home matches, you’ll have Axar Patel, Jadeja, Kuldeep and Washi.. Again, in the home series, Washi batting at no. 3 is a great option. So, if you want to go with three spinners, and Washi at no.3, who can take wickets, is a great option to have,” WV Raman concluded.
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