India face tough transition period, limited bowling options may worry Gambhir

Team Indias chances of making it to the World Test Championship final next year are still hanging It will be a massive surprise if captain Rohit Sharma stays available for the twoyear WTC cycleThe same will be the case for Ravichandran Ashwin who will turn 41 by then Stalwart Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja who are fit will also turn 39The embarrassing Test series defeat at home against New Zealand has already triggered a debate around the effectiveness of a few seniorsRavi Shastri could only empathize with GambhirNew Zealand have beaten them India handsomely in both the Test matches Its food for thought on series loss He Gambhir has just taken over the job Its never easy being coach of a team that has such a big following Shastri said while commentating during the second Test in PuneIts still early days in his career as a coach But hell soon learnAlso ReadIN PHOTOS Kumar Sangakkaras notable recordsTeam India will be looking at a tough transition phase with four of the matchwinning players who are expected to call it a day in the next couple of yearsThere are multiple options available in batting but India may struggle to find good bowlers Mohammed Shami even if he comes back is at the end of his glorious 10yearrun for Team India and both Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj are more than decent bowlers even as they do not have the menacing effect of Shami when Bumrah is operating from other endThe real problem will be the nextinline bowlers Avesh Khan and Khaleel Ahmed are quick but struggle with consistency and fitness issuesNavdeep Sainis pace has dropped and Umran Malik has likely lost his way already Other pacers such as Mukesh Kumar Vyshak Vijaykumar and Vidwath Kaverappa dont have that kind of pace that can put doubts in batters mindsWith Jasprit Bumrah being a gift from God and Mohammed Shami an exceptional talent unless a bowler like Mayank Yadav overcomes his injuries issues the slots are still vacantThe other area that could be a big concern is seam bowling allrounder unless Hardik Pandya who is 30 now has an apparent change of heartNitish Kumar Reddy could be another fastbowling allrounder as people have already admitted that he is in the team because of lack of options in Team IndiaThe batting unit still seems fine with Yashasvi Jaiswal already established as a regular in the team there are other players who can add up Abhimanyu Easwaran Ruturaj Gaikwad and B Sai SudharsanEaswaran has the most prolific record with 27 firstclass hundreds an average of nearly 50 in 99 redball games with four centuries in the last four games which prompted his selection as reserve opener for the seriesEaswaran is more of a grafter in the Cheteshwar Pujara mould but he has been in the Indian teams periphery for at least five years nowThere is a perception about Easwaran that he never scores in big games and pressure situations Two Ranji trophy finals three semifinals and three quarterfinals without a halfcentury dont speak highly about his temperamentA case in point is the only game that he failed in five domestic red ball matches this season was the Duleep Trophy opener where the opposition bowling attack had Avesh Khan Akash Deep and Khaleel Ahmed easily the best combination in the tournamentGaikwad is a terrific whiteball cricketer but only seven firstclass hundreds in 35 games isnt what the Test team would be looking at although his aggressive game might at times work in specific conditionsThis brings us to B Sai Sudharsan the lefthander from Tamil Nadu who has a good technique sound temperament and an appetite for big runs He recently played for the County team Surrey He can bat as an opener and also at number threeThe next position will be a crucial one Virat Kohlis With Shubman Gill looking in fine touch the other option who can emerge as a dark horse could be Devdutt PadikkalRishabh Pant is like MS Dhoni there is very little chance any keeperbatter can come near him in the next 10 years Sarfaraz Khan has started brilliantly in the five Tests so far but whether he is that ideal allconditions No 6 in the lineup will be known in AustraliaWith Team India looking for spin allrounders to fill in Ashwin and Jadejas shoes Axar Patel alongside Washington Sundar can be the name to be picked upBoth are quite good with the balls and can be a handy pick to enter with the willow in hand for Team IndiaWashington Sundar overshadowed someone like Ravichandran Ashwin in Pune with 11 wickets and is a very handy batter as 2021 Brisbane showedWith PTI Inputs