Young Indian Brigade shows glimpses of Future as Transition beckons

India lost the first test being in command for most part of the test match. In the absence of senior players like Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, and also Jadeja missing the second test it felt that the momentum could be in England‘s favor going forward. But After an initial hiccup, India bounced back in style to win the 4-1. The impressive part of this series victory was how the youngsters rose to the occasion and took center stage. They had no option but to step up for the team in the absence of senior players.  

After the victory in the third test at Ranchi, Shubman Gill posted on Instagram with a quote from Indian Head Coach Rahul Dravid: “If not you, who? If not now, when?” Indeed the young Indian brigade grabbed the opportunities presented to them with both hands and gave glimpses of what lies ahead in the future. Whenever put under pressure, youngsters stepped up and made the difference. 

India is in a transition phase, especially with bat. Be it the brutality of Jaiswal and Sarfaraz against the spinners, the rise of Shubman Gill at number 3, the maturity and calmness of Dhruv Jurel, the magician in Kuldeep Yadav or the game changing opening burst at Ranchi by Akashdeep, the home series gave some glimpses of what beholds in the future of Indian tests. 

Yashasvi Jaiswal had a memorable series. For a guy who has just played 9 test matches, the maturity and clarity that he showed is commendable. The Mumbai lad scored 712 runs in the series consisting of 2 double hundreds. His batting reminded us of Sachin and Sehwag. Just like Sachin, he has multiple shots for a single delivery. He can sweep or hit you over the top against a spinner or flick you through midwicket on a ball pitched on the off stump just like Sachin. Whenever he comes down the track, the only place the ball is going to travel is in the stands. Even against pacers, in the initial part of his innings, he was watchful and left the ball pitched in the corridor of uncertainty. At the moment, there seems no weakness in his game against pace as well as spin. India has been looking for a solid left handed batsman in the top 3 and Jaiswal solves most of the questions in home and away conditions. There is already a built-up on the Australian shores of his arrival in the latter part of this year. 

There were question marks on Shubman Gill after his failure in the first test. But the new number 3 answered his critics in style since the 2nd Test. Shubman Gill progressed gradually as the series went along. He was not pushing at the ball as much as he did in the previous tests, he looked a lot better with his feet movements against pacers. He scored 452 runs in the series with 2 hundreds. But the most important innings was during the fourth innings at Ranchi. He scored 52 runs off 124 deliveries to take India to victory. India were in a spot of bother chasing 192, but Gill showed maturity and calmed things down. He played risk free cricket and absorbed pressure against the spinners. He used his feet to maneuver the gaps and steadily kept the scoreboard ticking. For the kind of talent Gill possesses, you rarely have to dig in deep and show your mental fortitude to overcome tough situations. This innings was a big tick for him and the management going forward. Once he got through the tough innings, he played a chanceless hundred in the last test scoring 110 in 150 balls. Once the confidence was back, you could see a different Shubman Gill. 

Watching Jaiswal and Gill bat together in symphony gave assurance to the Indian fans that the pair is here to stay. Both of them complement each other very well. Jaiswal used his feet to murder the spinners with an occasional sweep shot to disrupt them while Gill stayed within the crease and sometimes ran down the track to rotate the strike. This pair will surely make some eye pleasing partnerships in the future. 

Sarfaraz Khan made his much awaited debut in this series after a long wait. He made his presence felt not only with the bat but also on the field. Be it at short leg, prompting the captain to go for a review, he was bubbly and cheerful on the field wanting to contribute to the team. He was unfazed on his debut and played the same way as he does in domestic cricket. He was down the track in a flash eyeing the mid wicket or the sight screen. Known for his plethora of sweep shots ranging from fine leg to mid wicket, Sarfaraz gave a proper thrashing to the English spinners. It was a very pleasing sight to see Sarfaraz and his Mumbai teammate Yashasvi Jaiwal dominate the spinners in such a manner. Sarfaraz did not make a hundred in the series, but even in his brief stay, he made handy runs. His repertoire against spinners is nothing new. But there were a few eyebrows on his batting against quality pacers. The way he held the Indian innings in the Dharamshala test after the quick wickets of Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill was noteworthy. Coming in at a tricky team he negotiated the spells from Anderson and Stokes followed by a fiery burst of Mark Wood with ease. He was watchful at the start, but once he got his eye in, the rookie stamped his class and aggression over Mark Wood with his signature ramp shot over the slips and a disdainful pull shot in the stands. 

Another bright shining light was the emergence of Dhruv Jurel. Jurel passed almost all the tests thrown towards him. He looked so calm at the crease even on his debut. There weren’t any half measures with his batting. He read the lengths of the spinners brilliantly. Jurel was fully forward or fully back using the depth of the crease to his advantage. He had so much time against the Pacers. He played risk free cricket and made batting look easy. Jurel orchestrated the Ranchi chase along with Gill. When Gill was struggling to rotate the strike, the 23-year-old found the gaps with ease. The batter showed immense maturity in the first innings at Ranchi when India were tottering at 177-7 trailing by 176 runs. Jurel never looked panicked or went for rash shots to score quick runs. He steadily wore down the English bowlers and then handed them the knockout punch. He fell 10 short of his well deserved hundred. But it was worth more than a hundred considering the situation with India behind just by 46 runs. His keeping is still a work in progress but will surely develop his skillsets as he plays more. With the uncertainty over Rishabh Pant‘s keeping, India have found a reliable keeper batsman in all conditions. Looking at his batting, he could also be picked as a pure batter. 

The series turned on its head due to Kuldeep Yadav. He took 19 wickets in the series. Whenever India were in trouble, Rohit Sharma could just give the ball to Kuldeep Yadav and he would do the rest. At the moment, he has the ball at his command landing it exactly wherever he wants. He has not just increased his pace but is now putting more body behind the ball. He is using the drift and dip so well deceiving the batsman in the actual line of the ball. Not to forget his crucial contributions with the bat. His crucial innings at Ranchi went along unnoticed by the brilliance of Jurel. With his batting improving each innings, he can surely make his way into the side during overseas tests. Only due to the inclusion of Kuldeep Yadav, India could afford to make flatter wickets and bank on the wrist spinner to make the difference. 

Akash Deep and Devdutt Padikkal made contributions even in a single test they played. Akash Deep’s opening spell in Ranchi put England on the back. He got the ball to bounce awkwardly, swung it both ways, and shifted the pendulum towards India on a good batting track. He made the batsman jump with his skiddy action and steep bounce. The management will have an eye on him during the overseas tests. Paddikal made a fifty on his debut looking assured at the crease. The backups of the Indian team keeps on growing. 

The senior players will return to the side in the next test series. But with this new core starting to emerge in the transition phase, the Indian management will be pleased with the readiness with which the youngsters accepted the challenges and contributed to the team’s cause. But long as the Kohlis and Rohit Sharmas are gone, the likes of Jaiswal, Gill, Sarfaraz, and Jurel will keep the Indian juggernaut rolling…

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