What Lies Ahead For India

It has been a long time since India won any ICC trophy. The last time India lifted an ICC trophy was back in 2013 under the leadership of MS Dhoni. India lost their best chance to win a trophy and end a drought in the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy Final against Pakistan, and in the ICC World Test Championship Finals in 2021 and 2023 against New Zealand and Australia, respectively.

India has yet another chance to win an ODI World Cup later this year as they are the hosts and know the conditions better than anyone. Additionally, there are many big tournaments lined up until 2031, and India has to move forward with their young guns.

India’s Fragile Middle Order

India has a rich history of producing solid middle-order batsmen, such as Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, and not to forget the No.7, MS Dhoni. Their services were irreplaceable, providing great stability in the middle order. However, nowadays, there is a sorry state of affairs as only a limited number of batsmen possess the skill set required to establish themselves in the middle order for a long time.

Furthermore, there are players who have been playing for a long time but have passed their peak and continue to represent India without showing any intent on the field. Rohit Sharma, who made his international debut back in 2007 and delivered an exceptional performance in the 2019 World Cup with five centuries in a single edition, hasn’t lived up to that standard since then.

Additionally, BCCI handed over the captaincy to Rohit Sharma when he was in the final phase of his cricketing career. Virat Kohli, who made his debut in 2008, was the captain of the Indian cricket team before Rohit Sharma. He led Team India from 2017 to 2022 but failed to win any ICC trophies. Talking about Ajinkya Rahane, the cool and calm middle-order batsman who only plays in tests, was dropped from the national team due to poor form.

However, Ajinkya Rahane got lucky to make an epic comeback after a great show in IPL 2023. He was selected for the WTC Final 2023 against Australia, and now, for the West Indies tour, he has been announced as the vice-captain of the Indian team at the age of 35. Making a comeback is always good, but the BCCI selectors took a reverse gear by announcing Rahane as the co-pilot of Rohit Sharma. The question arises: How much longer will these players, who have passed their peak, be given opportunities?

Youngsters Who Can Replace Big Names In Future

Shubman Gill has already taken steps to fill the shoes of the greats, being compared at a very young age to Indian legends such as Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli. Some view him as the successor of Virat Kohli, while others hope he will surpass Sachin’s record of 100 hundreds. In his relatively short career, he has already scored one double hundred and four centuries in ODIs, as well as two centuries in Test cricket and one in the T20I’s. Considering his impressive statistics and playing style, it is highly likely that he will become a valuable asset for India in the years to come.

While Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal got a chance to showcase their skills, domestic cricket star player Sarfaraz Khan received complete rejection from the selectors. He did everything to earn a chance to play for India but failed to catch the attention of the selectors. Playing for Mumbai in 38 first-class matches, he scored 3,511 runs with an outstanding average of 76.32, which is only second to Don Bradman’s average in first-class cricket (minimum 50 innings). Let’s wait and see when he will receive a call from the selectors so that he can establish his place in the middle order for India.

Axar Patel In Place Of Ravichandran Ashwin And Ravinder Jadeja

Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, the two greats of Indian cricket, give their all while playing for India. Ravichandran Ashwin, currently ranked as the No.1 Test All-Rounder, has amassed 474 wickets, along with a bonus of 3129 Test runs. Looking at Ravindra Jadeja’s stats, The Swordsman has taken 268 wickets and scored 2706 runs. However, it is worth noting that Ravichandran Ash is currently 36 years old, while Jadeja is 34. Is it the right time to surpass these two greats?

The best choice for their replacement has to be Axar Patel, who has developed his all-round abilities to the point where the Indian management can no longer ignore him. He was the 3rd highest run-scorer in the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023, with 264 runs in 5 innings and an average of 88. Additionally, he emerged as a one-man army for the Delhi Capitals this season, scoring 283 runs and taking 11 wickets in just 14 matches. Perhaps, he could be the top contender to replace India’s current all-rounders, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, in the near future.

Also Read: ICC World Test Championship Final: ” Virat Kohli Was A Very Good Captain, India Did Really Well Under Virat Kohli & Ravi Shastri..- Sourav Ganguly Makes A Staggering Statement