Border-Gavaskar Trophy: Finding balance

Standing at the crossroads of his Test career, skipper Rohit Sharma has certain choices to make in the best interests of the Indian team heading into the fifth and final Test against Australia.

With the series on the line after his team’s 184-run drubbing in the Boxing Day Test, the Indian captain might have to field his six best batters at the Sydney Cricket Ground, which will pave the way for Shubman Gill’s inclusion in the playing XI after being dropped for the previous game in Melbourne.

With 866 runs in Test cricket in 2024, Gill is second only to Yashasvi Jaiswal in the list of highest scorers among Indian batters in last one year, and one can’t blame the youngster if he is feeling hard done by at being asked to sit out at MCG.

Rohit, though, informed that the team management explained to Gill the reasons behind his omission in Melbourne. He was dropped to ensure better balance in the playing XI with Washington Sundar’s bowling being an additional advantage.

The question that arises now is how Rohit accommodates Gill in the playing XI for the Sydney game, which India need to win to not only retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy but also keep alive their slim chances of qualifying for next year’s World Test Championship (WTC) Final.

Washington did himself no harm by scoring a 50 and was involved in a crucial hundred-plus stand with centurion Nitish Kumar Reddy. And if his bowling was penetrative enough, he would have certainly bowled more overs.

The SCG has traditionally been a track that assists spinners as the match progresses and hence either Washington or Tanush Kotian is certain to play alongside Ravindra Jadeja, unless the skipper develops sudden faith in Jaiswal’s leg-breaks and decides to a play the specialist batter (Gill) and not the batting all-rounder (Washington).

The Adelaide Test, played under lights with the pink Kookaburra, presented the Indian team with the most challenging circumstances and Gill, with scores of 31 and 28, looked way more comfortable than both Rohit and Virat Kohli.

The second option could be more convenient and it involves dropping one among Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep to include Gill as three specialist pacers could be a luxury at the SCG with Jadeja and Washington expected to bowl more overs than in Melbourne. Siraj redeemed himself with a fine spell in Melbourne while Akash Deep was distinctly unlucky to get just one wicket across two innings.

The third option is the most inconvenient one but perhaps the need of the hour too if Rohit wants to lead by example. With just 31 runs in five innings and 155 runs in the last 14 knocks, the skipper could himself volunteer to step aside and let Gill play, with KL Rahul regaining his opening slot, where he has looked the most assured.

Taking a back seat to allow the team to move forward is a call that can only be taken if the heart is in the right place.

McDonald optimistic Starc will play in Sydney Test

Australia head coach Andrew McDonald conceded that Mitchell Marsh has fallen short of expectations with the bat against India but remained optimistic about Mitchell Starc’s availability for the pivotal fifth Test.

Starc’s fitness remains the primary worry for the hosts after the pacer battled through sore ribs in the fourth Test but still managed to bowl effectively, including claiming the prized wicket of Kohli on the final day.

“Any time you get through the game, it’s always a good indicator that you’ve a chance at the next game,” McDonald said. “It didn’t stop him (Starc). Clearly there was a little bit of discomfort early on in spells, but once he got warm it seemed as though he was pretty free. We’ll see how everyone recovers. Bowling last, it was a pretty attritional game, something that we’re not used to in the last few years.”

Should Starc be unavailable for the decider, McDonald expressed confidence in Jhye Richardson or Sean Abbott stepping

in to fill the void.

Starc’s fitness issues, compounded by his heavy workload alongside skipper Pat Cummins, have also drawn attention to the limited role of Marsh as a fifth bowler.

Across four Tests, Marsh has bowled only 33 overs. His contributions with the bat have been similarly underwhelming, with just 73 runs at an average of 10.42.