Mayank Agarwal and Sheldon Jackson— takeaways from the Duleep Trophy

He has been guilty of playing such impetuous shots even in international cricket. Like during the first innings of the Ferozshah Kotla Test match against the Proteas in December last year. Despite his indifferent form in the game’s longest version, the selectors reposed faith in him, and named him in the 15-member squad for the three Test matches against New Zealand at home.

Chief of selectors, Sandeep Patil, gave a plausible explanation for his inclusion. “Rohit is a fabulous player, but he hasn’t got a longer run in Test cricket,” Patil said after the selection meeting in Mumbai. “What we have seen with Sharma is that he has been picked for one Test and then rested an entire season and again picked. So the selection committee, along with coach and the captain, have decided that whoever is be picked will be given a fair amount of chances.”

Patil has a point. Ever since he made his debut against the West Indies in November 2013, Rohit has not got a decent run in Tests. In the last eight Tests at home and abroad, he has featured in only four of them. His 18-Test career has been a start-stop affair.

Like Rohit, opener Dhawan is another player who continued to find favour with the selectors, despite being bogged down by inconsistent performances in the recent past. Captain Virat Kohli continued to have unmitigated trust in the 31-year-old. He rated him as a match-winner who could alter the course of a game in a single session.

Since that majestic ton against Sri Lanka at Galle last year, he has managed to accrue only a single half century in the next 12 innings. His average during this period was a below par 28.72.

Dhawan had the opportunity of getting back into form at the Duleep Trophy final here. Like Rohit, Dhawan too got a start. But perished playing a lackadaisical shot – a reverse sweep off Ravindra Jadeja. “We want him (Dhawan) to come good, not only him, we want all 15 to perform. We have faith in all 15,” was Patil’s response when asked about Dhawan. The left-handed opener’s dip in form has coincided with the prolific rise of KL Rahul. Over the last six months, the Karnataka batsman has been consistent across formats, making him the preferred choice as opener, putting more pressure on Dhawan.

While Rohit and Dhawan floundered, the Duleep Trophy saw the ascent of two aggressive batsmen, who have been in domestic circuit for a while – Mayank Agarwal and Sheldon Jackson. Mayank has had issues with consistency during the last Ranji season. However, he seemed to have addressed that anomaly in this tournament. Batting with confidence and showcasing his wide array of shots, he has been one of the lynchpins for India Blue in this series. With a century and three half centuries, Mayank was one of the top run-getters in the tournament.

If Mayank was prolific at the start, Sheldon Jackson was at his belligerent best in the lower middle-order for India Blue. Two centuries and a 79 not out, showcased his sublime hitting abilities. Apart from Mayank and Sheldon, Manish Pandey has been another youngster who has had a prolific run as India A captain in the ongoing tour Down Under. An emphatic ton in a losing cause in the quadrangular series last month was his standout performance.

Even in their four-day games, he played the lone hand. The performances of Mayank, Sheldon and Pandey may have been difficult to ignore when the selectors got into a huddle to pick the team for the upcoming New Zealand series. With a long season scheduled at home, there would have been a temptation to blood one of these youngsters. “We have chosen only 15 players for this series but I am happy to say that we have a big pool of some 30 odd players,” Patil said.

His statements did give a glimpse into their dilemma. However, in sticking to the core team that won in the West Indies last month the panel only showed their conservative approach. It was not surprising considering their term was coming to an end, and in their last major assignment had decided to play safe.

The new panel will be selected before the New Zealand series begins. It will be interesting to see how they operate. For starters, they will find it difficult to ignore the likes of Mayank, Sheldon and Pandey who have mounted runs at every given opportunity. Having survived the axe today, the onus was now well and truly on Rohit and Shikhar to deliver.

More agony for India Red

Chasing 693 in the first innings, India Red floundered on Monday. The Red’s top order – Dhawan, Yuvraj and Gurkeerat all got starts, but failed to convert. Stuart Binny struggled in the initial phase, but prospered to score 98. However, it was Amit Mishra who had provided the fireworks in the evening session. A quickfire 75 propelled Yuvraj’s team past the 300-run mark. But on a dry and abrasive pitch that had become even more receptive to spinners, Ravindra Jadeja and Karn Sharma got ample purchase. Jadeja finished with a five-for, while Karn picked up two scalps. At the end of Day 3, Gambhir’s side had taken a lead of 338 runs.