Abhimanyu Easwaran out of India’s plans, 5 new players admitted! Gautam Gambhir’s authority lost
The selection committee, headed by Ajit Agarkar, and the Indian team management have reportedly decided to leave Abhimanyu Easwaran for the upcoming Tests. Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rinku Singh, Sarfaraz Khan, Smaran Ravichandran and Yash Rathod are among the names under discussion for red-ball cricket.
India, under Gautam Gambhir, suffered a 0-2 whitewash in the Test series as South Africa dominated both matches to seal their first Test series victory in India in 25 years. Notably, it was the Men in Blue’s second whitewash at home in just 12 months, raising major concerns about the recent decline in red-ball cricket.
India’s Test series defeat to South Africa forces selectors to rethink approach
India’s Test series defeat against South Africa has made the selectors rethink their approach, especially for key roles like the number three batting position. After years of stability under Rahul Dravid and Cheteshwar Pujara, this place is now open again.
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The selectors tried different options which did not work. Karun Nair couldn’t get the role during the England tour, and Sai Sudharsan managed only an average of 27 in 11 innings. His technique still needs to be refined, especially on the turning pitches in Asia.
The selectors feel that Sudharsan first needs more time in domestic cricket and with India A before he can meet the demands of Test matches. Test cricket is not the place to correct fundamental mistakes, and India have learned this the hard way several times.
Abhimanyu Easwaran no longer part of Indian testing plans
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Rohit Juglan said that Abhimanyu Easwaran is no longer in contention for the Indian Test team. He added that the selectors had already started to abandon him after the England Lions tour as Easwaran had repeatedly failed to produce runs in high-pressure matches.
“Let me also talk about Abhimanyu Easwaran. It has become very difficult for him now. You will not see him returning to the team as a clear opinion has been formed that he has not delivered on his promises in big matches,” Juglan said.
“If you look at the recent India A matches, the England Lions series or the matches against Australia, the runs just weren’t there. So the discussion around him is pretty much over,” he added.
Rinku Singh, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Rajat Patidar are among the candidates for Test cricket
Rohit Juglan has said that selectors can prioritize technically sound batters who take up Test cricket. He noted that several in-form players, including Rinku Singh, Sarfaraz Khan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rajat Patidar, Smaran Ravichandran and Yash Rathod, are in discussions to strengthen the red-ball setup.
“The focus now is on better and more specialized batters who enjoy Test cricket. There is a plan to bring these players back into the system, and a few names are at the top of that list – Rinku Singh, Sarfaraz Khan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rajat Patidar, Smaran and Yash. These players have performed consistently and there is a lot of talk around them.”
Also read: BCCI takes key decision on shared coaching after Gautam Gambhir’s Test failures for India
