The future of some senior India players like Virat Kohli, captain Rohit Sharma, and all-rounder duo R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja will reportedly be evaluated after the upcoming Test tour of Australia. This report comes after India was thrashed 0-3 by New Zealand, as India got whitewashed at home for the first since 2000.
The five-match Test series against Australia is likely to be the last for at least two of the four seniors, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, and Ravichandran Ashwin, who are nearing the end of their international careers.
"Look, I don't think we can look that far ahead. It's important to focus on the next series, which is Australia. I'm not going to look beyond the Australia series. Australia series, for us, is now very, very important. We will try and focus on that rather than thinking what happens after," Rohit said at the post-match press conference.
As per a report, an informal debate regarding the future of an aging team could take place among BCCI officials and chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar, head coach Gautam Gambhir, and captain Rohit.
"Stocks will be taken certainly and it could be informal since the team leaves for Australia on November 10. But this has been a huge debacle but, with the Australia series around the corner and the squad already announced, there won't be any tinkering," a senior BCCI source told PTI.
"But if India doesn't qualify for the WTC final in England, one can rest assured that all four super seniors won't be on that flight to the UK for the ensuing five-Test series. In any case, all four have likely played their final Test at home together," the source added.
The BCCI does not want to repeat the 2011 situation, in which an old side was discovered to be out of sorts, therefore the selectors, particularly chairman Agarkar and head coach Gambhir, will need to consult with the senior cricketers about the plan for the future.
To qualify for the WTC final without relying on other calculations, India would need a 4-0 result Down Under, which now appears to be unachievable. If other teams do poorly, India may still qualify despite losing the Border Gavaskar Trophy.
But once the Australia series is over, and if India does not qualify (the next cycle will begin with a five-Test series in England beginning June 20 next year at Leeds), the selection committee may be forced to look at long-term prospects, with opportunities given to players like Sai Sudharsan and Devdutt Padikkal who appear ready for international cricket.
With Washington Sundar appearing as a promising possibility for the next ten years, Ashwin's position in India whites may be up for debate once the Australia series concludes.
Jadeja, with his top-tier fitness and handy batting on overseas tours, might still be persisted with. But at home, BCCI has Axar Patel ready to replace him.
Between February 2021 and the current match, skipper Rohit Sharma scored 1210 runs from 35 innings in home Tests at an average of 37.81, including four hundreds. However, in the last 10 innings, there have been six scores of less than 10 runs and two scores of less than 20, with two half-centuries.
During the same time frame, Virat Kohli has played 25 innings at home for 742 runs at an average of 30.91, including a century on a flat Ahmedabad pitch.
While Kohli with his supreme fitness can overstay his invitation despite poor returns for close to four years, one can't see Rohit playing beyond this cycle of the World Test Championship.
Jasprit Bumrah is the current vice-captain with the board seeing Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant as potential replacements in Test cricket.
(PTI inputs)
