Despite WTC final loss, India is set to persist with tried and tested batsmen for the West Indies series

However, with the likes of Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit and Virat Kohli more or less in the same age bracket, the selectors want to field a team with a mix of youth and experience for the Border Gavaskar series in Australia — India’s last assignment of the 2023-2025 WTC cycle.

The Australian team celebrate as captain Pat Cummins holds the winners trophy during the victory ceremony for the ICC World Test Championship Final at The Oval cricket ground in London, Sunday, June 11, 2023. Australian defeated India on the last day of the test. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

The selectors are looking to avoid what happened during the 2012-2014 phase, when after the Fab Four retired and it took time to build the core group of batsmen. But the transition will happen post the West Indies series, that too one spot at a time depending on the form of the established batsmen. The next series after the two Tests in West Indies is against South Africa in December.

With nearly a five-month gap between the two tours and sans any first-class cricket in the said period, India are planning to stick to the experienced batsmen for the time being.

As reported previously, Mumbai’s Yashasvi Jaiswal and Maharashtra’s Ruturaj Gaikwad are part of the Test team plans going forward. However, the duo may have to wait for an opening.

Although there are concerns about Rohit’s fitness, with no other captain in sight, selectors are planning to persist with him at least till the end of the 50-over World Cup in India later this year. Any call on his future in the ODI and Test format would be taken only after the World Cup. It is understood that just like the T20s, where a separate team is groomed under Hardik Pandya, the selectors are planning to do the same in ODIs as well.

With India having plenty of options in the white-ball set-up, the transition phase is likely to begin with the ODI team before the Test side.

India’s Cheteshwar Pujara attempts to play a ball by Australia’s Pat Cummins but the ball glances off his bat and he is caught out behind by Australia’s Alex Carey on the fourth day of the ICC World Test Championship Final between India and Australia at The Oval cricket ground in London, Saturday, June 10, 2023. AP /PTI(AP06_10_2023_000255B)

Cheteshwar Pujara is likely to be retained for the West Indies despite not making an impact during the WTC final. The 35-year-old, who is a veteran of 103 Tests, was dropped after India’s tour to South Africa in 2021/22, but only to make a comeback six months later.

In the eight Tests since making a comeback, he has scored only one century and has crossed fifty only once. While he has been scoring heavily in County cricket for Sussex, there were apprehensions even within the team management to recall him in 2022. However, there was a school of thought in the BCCI that he deserved another chance, particularly because of his past performance in challenging conditions in Australia.

With Jaiswal delivering consistently in the domestic circuit, there is talk of grooming him for the No.3 spot. With plenty of options available for the opener’s slot, the team management and selectors reckon his compact technique and aggressive batting is what the team needs at No.3.

With teams preferring to play on result-oriented surfaces, having at least one or two aggressive batsmen is seen as an absolute necessity. Jaiswal at No.3 and Shubman Gill at the top could be what selectors are looking at in the long term. It is learnt Jaiswal’s name will come up for discussion when the selectors meet to pick the Test team for the West Indies series.

After the tour of South Africa, India’s next series in the WTC cycle is at home against England (five Tests) in January-February followed by ones against Bangladesh and New Zealand in October-November.

Chief selector search

Off the field, the BCCI is still looking for a suitable chairman of selectors, which the board’s bigwigs feel is crucial for the transition phase. Ever since Chetan Sharma stepped down as chairman of selectors earlier this year, the BCCI hasn’t appointed any replacement with SS Das filling in as acting chief.

Post the IPL, it is understood that the board officials reached out to a couple of reputed players from the north zone, who have played more than 100 matches each, but they have declined the offer citing the low pay package. Sources in the board indicated that they have sounded out another player from the World Cup winning squad of 2011, but are still awaiting a response.