Although, it is a norm in Cricket that when a foreign team comes, the home team picks a second string team to play practice match against the touring side. The logic behind this thinking is that the touring team must not get any valuable practice against the players, who are certain to play in international matches. This, every home team rests their prefered XI and puts a team from the benched players or fringe players.
However, shockingly, Indian selectors have picked a fourth-string President XI squad against Sri Lanka to play a two-day practice match, starting from tomorrow at Kolkata.
The squad that selectors picked, is beyond the logic. Apart from Captain Sanju Samson, Jiwanjot Singh and Jalaj Saxena who were top performers during Ranji matches, no other player is well known. It’s like selectors picked a junior team, against an international side.
Though, it has become a trend, ever since Virat Kohli has become team India’s permanent captain across all three formats.
After, the continues poor show of MS Dhoni, almost all the former players are shouting that time has come for India to groom a youngster instead of MS Dhoni. Though, Kohli is against this.
The same thinking, he has regarding the younger players. Rishanh pant has shown enough talent to be given an extended run in the national team. Instead, he is in wilderness.
Selectors could have easily selected him, as well as the players like Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Mohammed Siraj, Baba Indrajith, Hanuma Vihari to provide them a platform to impress against an international team, for a future test cap. Even 17-year old batting prodigy Parthiv Saw, who has taken Indian domestic cricket by storm, by hitting four consecutive First Class hundreds, could have been an ideal pick against Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka has some world class players. In last six months, opener Dimuth Karunaratne has turned a run-machine. Dinesh Chandimal is amongst top test batsman. Angelo Mathews is One of the best middle order batsman. In bowling too, they have Rangana Herath, the best left-arm spinner in the world. Youngsters like Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant could have gained valuable experience playing against him.
In reality, the BCCI and selectors must explain why they picked that much weakened team against an international side. Though, one can’t axpect this sort of accountability from the BCCI.
President XI Squad : Sanju Samson (captain), Abhishek Gupta, Akash Bhandari, Avesh Khan, Jalaj Saxena, Jiwanjot Singh, Ravi Kiran, Rohan Prem, B Sandeep, Tanmay Agarwal, Sandeep Warrier, Anmolpreet Singh.
