If reports from Adelaide, Australia are to be believed, then the Indian team might go in with a different plan than most are expecting in the first Test at the Adelaide Oval, which is a day-night affair, beginning from December 17 onwards.
It seems like, despite the superb attacking hundred by Rishabh Pant in the day-night warm-up game against Australia A, the team management is thinking of preferring Wriddhiman Saha over the young gun, on basis of Saha’s superior glovework with the pink ball and his safe batting style.
Coach Ravi Shastri, captain Virat Kohli, assistant coaches Vikram Rathour, Bharat Arun, and traveling selector Harvinder Singh will be assessing both Pant and Saha’s performance based on their individual contributions in match situations.
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Saha’s 54 came when India could have lost the game and he bailed the team out while facing a top-quality attack. The score read 143/9 and the team could have lost to Australia A, but he along with young Kartik Tyagi, scored his runs and saved the game.
Also, Saha faced an Australia A attack featuring James Pattinson, Michael Neser, and Cameron Green, which was an international standard.
When compared to this, Pant’s innings came when India was already in control of the game and Australia A had leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson and part-timer Nick Maddinson in operation. Many feel the hard-work was already done by Shubman Gill, Mayank Agarwal, and Hanuma Vihari before Pant joined the proceedings.
In fact, Australia legend and 1987 World Cup-winning captain Allan Border called the home side’s performance and spirit in the game, an “absolute disgrace”, when the players seemed to throw in the towel mid-way through Pant’s assault.
Also, Saha averages 30 plus in 37 Tests with 1238 runs and three hundreds in his kitty. Besides, he has 103 dismissals behind the stumps, including 92 catches and 11 stumpings. However, how he performs with the bat would be under scrutiny as a failure in front of the stumps might give young Pant a chance in the remainder of the games.
(PTI inputs)
