It was a red-letter day in Indian cricket.
Everyone had been building up to it since the time ‘sources’ let it be known that a major event would take place on Monday afternoon in the National capital.
We had been told that there would a press conference right after the selection committee meeting in New Delhi where the Indian squad for the Asia Cup would be announced.
If you have been following Indian cricket for the last four years, or specifically since October 2019, this was to be a rare occurrence. The squads of late have been named arbitrarily, with press releases coming through randomly at 9:30pm or even 11pm India time, with no explanation or information of the players picked. We though have had two disastrous ‘virtual’ interactions which left us with more questions than answers, and what resulted in a lot of speculation and conjectures over players being selected or dropped.
Somehow, this time though the powers that be in Indian cricket thought to call a press conference after the selection committee meeting and of course, it was a big media event - being the first physical interaction of a Chief Selector with the media, since the start of the pandemic.
Indian captain Rohit Sharma was also part of the press conference which was bit of a first because usually this has not happened previously, before 2019 that is.
The Sharma-Agarkar combination was interesting and transparent. They fielded every question with aplomb and were prepared to be open in their answers, leaving little or no room for confusion.
Rahul’s selection was welcome because he is a key player in the ODI squad. But the fact is that he has picked up another niggle, during his rehab at the NCA in Bengaluru, makes it a tricky time for the Indian think-tank and the selection panel as they have reposed their faith in him. Ishan Kishan is in the squad as a back-up to Rahul and this has also warranted the selection of Sanju Samson as the lone stand-by player in the squad!
Iyer is back and is fully fit. This is contrary to all the commentary in the past few weeks, where it was told to us that Rahul is fit and Iyer may be not.
Bumrah and Krishna have worked really hard for the last few months and they fortunately look good now. Shreyas has been passed fit and has played three 50 over games at the NCA. KL Rahul has a niggle, it has nothing to do with his previous injury and from what we've been told, it shouldn't be too bad.Ajit Agarkar, Chief Selector - Indian Men's Cricket Team
Tilak Verma Earns Big Call Up
The most interesting selection is that of Tilak Varma who has stormed his way into contention with his display during the T20Is in West Indies. The selectors and team management have been clearly impressed with his fresh approach. The fact that he is a left-hander is a huge plus and his ability to bowl off-spin if required gives you an indication that the team think-tank is really worried about the lack of the balance in the squad.
Unlike champion Indian ODI sides of the past, this set-up does not have the option of getting their batters to bowl. Sharma and later even Agarkar joked about getting the skipper and even Virat Kohli to bowl!
'Hopefully Sharma and Kohli can roll their arm, if needed, in the World Cup,' the Indian captain remarked laughingly at the press conference. To which Ajit Agarkar added - 'yes, we've convinced them'.
Jokes aside though, the lack of extra bowling options is what makes Varma’s selection interesting.
Fit-Again Prasidh Krishna Returns
The other interesting choice is that of an extra pacer in Prasidh Krishna. If you read all the chatter about Krishna in the past few weeks there is almost an assumption that he is a demon bowler whose bounce and pace can rattle sides. Krishna first came into focus in January 2020 when Kohli made a reference to his pace and bounce at a post-match presentation.
Since then, Krishna till his injury in September 2022 did pick up wickets in the middle overs as a first change pace bowler in ODI cricket. In a way his selection is a continuation of the policy that the team management had in ODI cricket.
Once Jasprit Bumrah was fit it was a given that he would be picked in the squad. But the selectors effectively ended speculation over Bumrah being named deputy by retaining Hardik Pandya in the role. Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj provide effective support to Bumrah in the pace attack.
Shardul Thakur and Axar Patel are the support all-rounders in the squad. They are effectively covers for Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja respectively.
Axar Patel Makes The Cut
There will be much debate about Patel’s selection ahead of Yuzvendra Chahal or even Ravichandran Ashwin and Washington Sundar. The fact is that over the past couple of years Patel has been given enough opportunities to prove his mettle in the ODI format. In fact, in the 2022-23 season, Patel did play a lot because of Jadeja’s long layoff. Now if Patel had been dropped, it would have meant going off script. The fact is India’s long tail has meant he gets in at the cost of a Chahal.
The lack of balance in white ball cricket or the lack of dual-purpose players is something that has hurt Indian squads for the past decade and that is one of the main reasons why the trophy cabinet is empty. Skipper Sharma and Agarkar were candid enough to admit that this is an area of concern, but not something that they can fix overnight.
Hence Indian squads in white ball cricket must be flexible without being reckless.
Overall, the squad was on expected lines though key players returning from long layoffs is a major concern. The limited number of all-rounders or dual-purpose players is a long-term project that needs to be fixed on a war footing.
In the end all the build-up to Monday's 'mega event' was well worth it.
The candour and style of Sharma took the cake because he spoke in typical Bambaiyya style, leaving everyone in splits with his replies. Agarkar was articulate and handled the queries with aplomb.
We just hope the powers that be did not find the press conference a little too honest and open for their liking, because fielding unscripted questions is a lost art in India.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)