20

Oct

TEAM SELECTION OR GAME OF  MUSICAL CHAIRS

image

New Delhi I Tuseday I October 20, 2026

Even as the India – West Indies T20 series was on, the selectors decided to announce the teams for One day and Test matches for the forthcoming tour of New Zealand. The T20 team had been announced earlier.
What it shows is that while Ajit Agarkar is gone, the selections have not shown a change in pattern except one noticeable change – the recall of Bhuvneshwar Kumar in T20 team riding on his excellent show in IPL 2026 but more importantly acknowledging that conditions in NZ need a bowler of his type – he should have gone to Ireland/England on the same grounds!
What have India’s performances over last 6 months in white ball cricket shown to us – that Indian batters are flat track bullies who struggle even on a spinning track like in Japan what to talk of seam friendly conditions in Ireland/England and that the bowlers struggle on the same flat tracks. The result is that we have struggled overseas and even in India, we had a relatively tougher time, even against a lowly placed team like the West Indies.
So what should be the selectors’ response to the obvious chinks in India’s armour?
A serious consideration of conditions we are going to play in! Which means look at batters who can bat in pace friendly conditions and bowlers who can take wickets on flat tracks!!
Are we doing that?
Let us look at the selection of T20 team for NZ!
While there is clear admission by selectors that conditions in NZ are going to be seamer friendly in the selection of Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, the same approach is missing in the selection of batters.
We have the same set of batters who failed in Ireland/England and struggled even in Japan, although on turning tracks, showing none of the audacity displayed in India except a couple of batters.
Who should have been under a lens?
Is it wise to expose Vaibhav in NZ? Was it prudent to expose him in England? The answer should be no.
Sanju’s World Cup heroics notwithstanding, is he showing enough consistency to deserve a spot? In preference to someone like Shubman Gill who showed his class in England in 2025 even if it was in Tests and had an outstanding IPL 2026 to back up his claims.
In fact, going by IPL 2026 performances, Jaiswal, Gill, and Rahul should have been in consideration as they have shown performances in bowler friendly conditions in England and Australia.
Let us now look at bowlers.
The focus has to be on pacers. 
This columnist has not understood what kind of workload management is Bumrah being subjected to. He can play 40 days of IPL cricket non stop but is left out where pace thrives. Is this workload management at the request of Bumrah?
If Bhuvaneshwar Kumar’s return gave rise to hopes that Shami would also be recalled, these have been dashed. Shami is performing in domestic cricket like a true professional and yet being needlessly ignored while our bowlers are struggling in India itself. Let us not forget his heroics on the same docile pitches in One day World Cup in 2023. We need wicket taking bowlers on Indian pitches and yet Shami, with a proven record, is being ignored. Even when Bumrah is being rested, when its important to have a seasoned campaigner even if we wish to blood some youngsters. There is no doubt that Shami is being treated unfairly despite being among top 10 bowlers last season in Ranji Trophy and putting up a good show in IPL 2026.
As far as pace is concerned, it has been a bit of musical chairs in last few months – apart from regulars like Bumrah, Siraj, Prasidh and Arshdeep assuming Harshit Rana is unfit, we have played Kamboj, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Auqib, Brar, and Yash Thakur in various formats. In the background are bowlers like Akash Deep, Avesh Khan and Mukesh Kumar. If one looks at figures of IPL 2026, there are two more names among top 20 who are not figuring in the scheme of things right now – Kartik Tyagi and Saqib Hussain.
Among them, Akash Deep has earned a well deserved recall for Tests given his showing in England in 2025 and absence later due to injury.
However, some of the other selections defy logic.
Anshul Kamboj was among the best performers in IPL 2026 and yet he is not in T20 team. Instead he gets a look in Test team while Auqib, the highest Ranji wicket taker last season, instead of being in Test team is in one dayers! 
Another area where there is plethora of talent and yet selectors do not show clarity is that of wicket keepers. Pant and Jurel are settled for Tests. Samson and Ishan are settled for T20. Rahul and Ishan now seem to be choices for one dayers. But we played Narayan Jagadeesan in place of Pant in England in Tests in 2025, Prabhsimran in T20 in Zimbabawe in 2026 – and Jitesh Sharma has been around for while. Yet when it comes to a back up in one dayers, we pick Kumar Kushagra – leaving out Samson or Jagadeesan or Jitesh or Prabhsimran.
Spin presents a similar pattern. Typically we play two spinners overseas and three in India or the sub continent.
Jadeja has been the first choice in Tests and One dayers having retired from T20. However, his returns are diminishing and we may have to soon take a decision on his future. Axar Patel seems the obvious choice in all formats – his figures in Tests are even better then Bumrah. But the selectors have introduced Manav Suthar and Harsh Dubey into the left arm mix. 
Kuldeep Yadav by now should have been a certainty in all formats after Ashwin retired given he is from an unusual tribe - left arm wrist spinner - not many batters are used to. But its not clear where selectors and even captains place him.
Varun is a certainty in T20 as right arm leg spinner. But we also have Bishnoi in the mix and in the Asian Games, we selected Vipraj Nigam as replacement for Varun.
Let us look at off spin now. Sundar seems to be the front runner but we have Naman Dhir being given the same role recently and Saransh Jain went to Sri Lanka for Tests.
There are several spinners in domestic cricket who are doing well like Shreyas Gopal and Shams Mulani. Not to forget Krunal Pandya who did so well in IPL 2026.
Finally, the pace all rounder spot. Hardik Pandya has been an outstanding performer in white ball format but struck down with injury. Shivam Dube has been making more news as batter and at times is not even being given full 4 over stint in T20. Nitish Reddy started with a bang in Australia but has not yet performed to give confidence that he would step into Pandya’s shoes. In Ireland tour, we tried Suyansh Shedge but have not used him since.
The problem with trying too many players for each slot is that it breeds uncertainty in the minds of players and is bound to affect their performance. Apart from giving appearance of musical chairs.
The crucial question still remains – going to New Zealand now or preparing for the next One day World Cup in South Africa in 2027, are we grooming batters who can tackle pace friendly conditions whatever be the format – you can make your guess from the above narration.

  • Share:

About Us

We must explain to you how all seds this mistakens idea off denouncing pleasures and praising pain was born and I will give you a completed accounts..

Contact Us

Contact Info

  • 70, Gyan Khand- 4, Indirapuram, Ghaziabad. Uttar Pradesh.
  • +91-9910322682
  • mediamapnetwork@gmail.com
  • Week Days: 09.00 to 18.00 Sunday: Closed