Test door reopens for Amit Mishra
Amit Mishra
While the team announced for the Test series against Sri Lankan was along expected lines, the national selection committee, which met on Thursday, did add an element of surprise by including leg-spinner Amit Mishra in the 15-member squad.
Opener KL Rahul returned to the team after missing the one-off Test against Bangladesh because of dengue Mishra made a comeback after four years and had last played a Test for India in England in 2011. With another leg-spinner Karn Sharma recovering from an injury, the selectors went for Mishra.
The inclusion of the experienced leg-spinner was also because of the recent fallibility of Sri Lankan batsman against leg-spin. Pakistan leggie Yasir Shah had created problems for the current Sri Lankan side and finished with 24 wickets in three Tests.
“Amit Mishra was always in the scheme of things. Last year also he was in the reserves. The final XI though is decided by the captain and the team management. Looking at the conditions we have picked him for this tour and we have tried to get the balance right,” chief selector Sandeep Patil said during a media briefing.
When asked about why the selectors did not opt for left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha or Axar Patel for that matter, Patil said, “We did discuss Ojha and others. But looking at Sri Lanka’s recent performance against Pakistan, we unanimously went with Mishra as they have been troubled by Yasir Shah. Also we are happy that Harbhajan Singh has made a strong return and has done really well in Zimbabwe and he will pair up well with R Ashwin. But as we know only 15 players can make the squad and given the conditions, we have opted for Mishra.”
Patil also mentioned that India’s four-pronged pace attack comprising Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Varun Aaron is the best at the moment. Although ODI skipper MS Dhoni had earlier criticised the pace attack for lack of discipline, Patil was all praise for the pacers.
“I am not talking about what Mahendra Singh Dhoni has said. But we are always trying to find a proper balance. And the wickets in Sri Lanka is such that we felt this is the best possible bowling combination. We as selectors felt we can go ahead with them.”
The selection committee has named Wriddhiman Saha as the wicket-keeper but didn’t include a reserve gloveman in the side. Patil confirmed that they had a reserve wicket-keeper ready if the need arises without revealing the name.
“Saha is the right option at this stage. It is not easy to replace (Mahendra Singh) Dhoni. Looking at his capability — batting and his domestic performances — he should strike a balance,” Patil said.
The chief national selector also said that it was natural for a new captain to stamp his mark on the team when it came to selections. He was replying to a query as to why Ravindra Jadeja and Suresh Raina, two players who enjoyed the backing of Dhoni, were not part of the squad.
“There will always be a change in the mix with a change of captain. Every captain has his own outlook and perspective when he is leading the side. Some may be attacking while others may be defensive. But yes, approach of the captain defines that particular period. We expect Virat to do well but we cannot predict the future. When Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly , Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman retired, we never thought we would get immediate replacements but we got them. So our job is to keep backing the best talent in the country,” he said.
Kohli to play India ‘A’ game
Meanwhile, skipper Virat Kohli, who was also present in the selection meeting, has requested the selectors to allow him to play the second unofficial Test between India A and Australia A to be held in Chennai. Owing to his indifferent form during the tour of Bangladesh, Kohli will aim to get some runs under his belt before embarking on the tour of Sri Lanka.
Squad: Virat Kohli (Captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Murali Vijay, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Harbhajan Singh, R Ashwin, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Amit Mishra and Varun Aaron.
