Patel and Jayant add to India’s selection riches

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  • Parthiv Patel impressed with the bat in Mohali.

    When India won the second Test against England in Visakhapatnam by 246 runs, odds on Virat Kohli picking the same eleven for the next match shortened.

    After all, there wasn’t much room for manoeuvre. His preferred opener – KL Rahul – had come back from injury. The fifth bowler – Jayant Yadav – had already upstaged Amit Mishra in his maiden Test. And the rest seemed to be ticking like clockwork.

    By the time the Indian team landed in Mohali though, wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha was out with a thigh strain, and a replacement was drafted in. India were going to make at least one change to their line-up, and Kohli was set to field his 20th different playing eleven for a 20th consecutive Test.

    Then something else happened. Rahul pulled out at the last moment, and suddenly Karun Nair got to make his international debut. It made for some wonder – despite their opener pulling out, India fielded six batsmen and five bowlers in what was arguably their strongest line-up of the season.

    They batted deep, until number nine, and the bowling attack was balanced as always. It was almost by coincidence the team management had hit upon the desired formula.

    India went in with key changes to their combination, and yet, rolled out an unperturbed performance, winning the third Test by eight wickets inside four days. There is a certain progression herein, identified by the manner in which changes didn’t affect the players. A major factor to this adjustment is the evolution in mindset of this current Indian squad.

    “We have had a pretty clear chat that we are going to play people that we think are suitable for different venues. The team bought into it. It sends the message across that the eventual motive is for the team to win,” Kohli pointed out before the third Test.

    “Every player needs to buy into the idea and it makes it easier as a captain and the management group if players agree to it and they have.”

    PARTHIV PATEL RISES TO THE OCCASION

    It reflects most in the manner Parthiv Patel rose to the challenge of not only playing the role of a stand-in keeper, but also moving up the order and opening the innings in his comeback Test. And in this dual role, he found definitive success.

    Eight years had passed since he had last played Test cricket for India. Much had changed since, ranging from coach to personnel, and even the pace at which this young team plays its cricket.

    There was one similarity to 2008, though, when Patel had last played against Sri Lanka. He was standing-in as a stop-gap replacement for MS Dhoni, who would go on to lead India in Tests soon after.

    Once Dhoni retired from Test cricket in 2014, Saha was promoted as his replacement. He had been a study for the ex-skipper on multiple occasions, and it was a smooth transition, the clear front-runner for this job. However, it has taken Saha a long time to adjust to this dual role of prime importance, one which bridges the top-order with the lower-order, especially when India play with five bowlers.

    Also, Saha has been injured twice over the last 17 months – first in Sri Lanka and now against England. Naman Ojha was called up on that tour, and Patel this time around, with the selectors’ message clear – they want experience and reliability behind the stumps.

    Patel, though, went one step further, given the manner he batted in both innings. The first time around, he played for time after losing Murali Vijay early, for it was imperative that India didn’t make a messy start like England.

    On the second occasion, he stamped his authority. His speedy cameo encapsulated how India bossed their opponents to go 2-0 up in the five-match Test series.

    “The way he approached both innings, it was amazing to see. The intent he showed in both innings, I think, just deflated the opposition,” said Kohli afterwards.

    Now, here’s the thing. He wasn’t simply asked about Patel’s performance alone. Instead, the query was regarding team combination going forward. For the Indian skipper likes to play with permutations, and Patel, in that strictest sense, expands on the options available.

    While Patel opening the innings didn’t add an extra batsman to the eleven, it added more solidity to the equation. Never mind that poor Karun Nair was run-out cheaply in his maiden innings, the underlying point is that within this combination, India can field a full-time batsman number six, pushing down Ravichandran Ashwin to number seven.

    In the alternate scenario, the spinner bats higher up, while Saha slots in afterwards, and at times India have come under pressure with the same.

    NERVELESS JAYANT YADAV PASSES INTERNATIONAL TEST

    This is where Jayant Yadav’s utility comes into the picture. In just two Tests, the off-spinner has displayed a level of wisdom that newcomers only acquire with time. When Kohli talked about Patel’s experience over the years from international and first-class level, he could have been equally talking about Jayant in the same breath.

    JAYANT YADAVS FIRST-CLASS STATS

    • Runs: 1665
    • Average (Batting): 29.21
    • Wickets: 125
    • Average (Bowling): 28.90

    Sure, the Haryana off-spinner doesn’t have that international exposure, but of late, time spent with illustrious names in the Indian Premier League (IPL) has come to be an acceptable substitute.

    This IPL season was a particular highlight in that he spent considerable time with India A coach Rahul Dravid, who rates the off-spinner very highly. And Yadav’s subsequent rise to the senior team, under coach Anil Kumble, shouldn’t come as a surprise then.

    “He comes across as a very balanced individual. He has shown a lot of character and maturity for a youngster coming into the team. He has contributed with bat and ball, and also in the field. It augurs well for Indian cricket that someone who has just come into the team has shown that kind of approach,” said Kumble earlier in the series.

    This puts the spotlight on Kohli ahead of the Mumbai Test. The Indian team is jousting with a few niggles, and the Wankhede Stadium pitch is known to throw in a few surprises. The presence of Patel and Jayant, though, allows the skipper to factor in all calculations.

    Will Kohli break habit and pick the same eleven for the first time? Or will it be 21 in 21?

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