Former national selector Devang Gandhi also believes that the time has come for some senior players to be replaced by youngsters like Yashasvi Jaiswal, who have performed exceedingly well in Indian Premier League (IPL) and domestic cricket.
"The problem is that you give a West Indies Test series to Pujara and if he scores, you have got to persist with him for one more year as there are no Tests after this till December. So do you do that or straightaway get a youngster and get him ready for bigger battles," Gandhi was quoted as saying by PTI.
Team India's hopes of winning another ICC trophy came to a screeching halt after Australia thumped Rohit Sharma & Co. in the 2023 World Test Championship (WTC) final at the Oval on June 11 (Sunday). India ended up losing the summit clash by a huge margin of 209 runs. As a result, the wait for another ICC title elongated further for India.
After sustaining yet another heartbreak in ICC events, calls for a revamp of the Indian Test side have gained momentum. Fans and former cricketers have voiced their desire to see youngsters being picked in the national Test side moving forward.
India's next assignment is against West Indies as the team will tour for a full-fledged bilateral series. India are set to play two Tests, three ODIs and five T20Is on the tour of the West Indies starting July 12 post a long break after WTC final. The first Test of the new WTC cycle will begin on July 12 at Windsor Park, Dominica. Post the West Indies Test series, India will not play a Test match till December.
Gandhi also batted for Ravichandran Ashwin or Ajinkya Rahane to be included in key leadership roles for the next WTC cycle. The former selector opined that Shubman Gill is definitely a future leader of the Indian team but until the youngster comes of age, the team can maximise the potential of Ashwin and Rahane.
"Why not Ashwin? And if you say that he is not a certainty overseas, then I would say even Rahane, despite being a vice-captain, was dropped from playing XI at one point. So even Ashwin can be considered or Rahane for a short time before Gill cements his place in Test XI," Gandhi opined.
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