Team India face tough transition period, limited bowling options may worry Gambhir

Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli (Pic: File Pic)

Team India's chances of making it to the World Test Championship final next year are still hanging. It will be a massive surprise if captain Rohit Sharma stays available for the two-year WTC cycle.

The same will be the case for Ravichandran Ashwin who will turn 41 by then. Stalwart Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja who are fit will also turn 39.

The embarrassing Test series defeat at home against New Zealand has already triggered a debate around the effectiveness of a few seniors.

Ravi Shastri could only empathize with Gambhir.

"New Zealand have beaten them (India) handsomely in both the Test matches. It's food for thought (on series loss). He (Gambhir) has just taken over the job. It's never easy being coach of a team that has such a big following," Shastri said while commentating during the second Test in Pune.

"It's still early days in his career as a coach. But he'll soon learn."

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Team India will be looking at a tough transition phase with four of the match-winning players who are expected to call it a day in the next couple of years.

There are multiple options available in batting but India may struggle to find good bowlers. Mohammed Shami, even if he comes back, is at the end of his glorious 10-year-run for Team India and both Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj are more than decent bowlers even as they do not have the menacing effect of Shami when Bumrah is operating from other end.

The real problem will be the next-in-line bowlers. Avesh Khan and Khaleel Ahmed are quick but struggle with consistency and fitness issues.

Navdeep Saini's pace has dropped and Umran Malik has likely lost his way already. Other pacers such as Mukesh Kumar, Vyshak Vijaykumar and Vidwath Kaverappa don't have that kind of pace that can put doubts in batters' minds.

With Jasprit Bumrah being a gift from God and Mohammed Shami an exceptional talent, unless a bowler like Mayank Yadav overcomes his injuries issues, the slots are still vacant.

The other area that could be a big concern is seam bowling all-rounder unless Hardik Pandya, who is 30 now, has an apparent change of heart.

Nitish Kumar Reddy could be another fast-bowling all-rounder as people have already admitted that he is in the team because of lack of options in Team India.

The batting unit still seems fine with Yashasvi Jaiswal already established as a regular in the team, there are other players who can add up, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Ruturaj Gaikwad and B Sai Sudharsan.

Easwaran has the most prolific record with 27 first-class hundreds, an average of nearly 50 in 99 red-ball games with four centuries in the last four games which prompted his selection as reserve opener for the series.

Easwaran is more of a grafter in the Cheteshwar Pujara mould but he has been in the Indian team's periphery for at least five years now.

There is a perception about Easwaran that he never scores in big games and pressure situations. Two Ranji trophy finals, three semi-finals and three quarter-finals without a half-century don't speak highly about his temperament.

A case in point is the only game that he failed in five domestic red ball matches this season was the Duleep Trophy opener where the opposition bowling attack had Avesh Khan, Akash Deep and Khaleel Ahmed, easily the best combination in the tournament.

Gaikwad is a terrific white-ball cricketer but only seven first-class hundreds in 35 games isn't what the Test team would be looking at although his aggressive game might at times work in specific conditions.

This brings us to B Sai Sudharsan, the left-hander from Tamil Nadu, who has a good technique, sound temperament and an appetite for big runs. He recently played for the County team Surrey. He can bat as an opener and also at number three.

The next position will be a crucial one, Virat Kohli's. With Shubman Gill looking in fine touch, the other option who can emerge as a dark horse could be Devdutt Padikkal.

Rishabh Pant is like MS Dhoni, there is very little chance any keeper-batter can come near him in the next 10 years. Sarfaraz Khan has started brilliantly in the five Tests so far but whether he is that ideal all-conditions No. 6 in the line-up will be known in Australia.

With Team India looking for spin all-rounders to fill in Ashwin and Jadeja's shoes, Axar Patel alongside Washington Sundar can be the name to be picked up.

Both are quite good with the balls and can be a handy pick to enter with the willow in hand for Team India.

Washington Sundar overshadowed someone like Ravichandran Ashwin in Pune with 11 wickets and is a very handy batter as 2021 Brisbane showed.

(With PTI Inputs)