Should India Fast-Track Musheer Khan In The Test Team?
Musheer Khan after his century in Duleep Trophy game (X.com)
Musheer Khan, the younger brother of Sarfaraz Khan is taking rapid strides in Indian cricket and his recent knock of 181 against a quality bowling attack of India A in the Duleep Trophy has raised his stocks further.
There are reports that he will be on a flight to Australia for an A-team tour, and it clearly means that he has caught the eye of national selectors and could well make it into the Indian senior side soon if he continues to deliver consistently. So, should the Indian selectors fast-track 19-year-old Musheer Khan into the senior Test side? Let's try to find out.
Consistency Across Formats And At Various Levels
A hallmark of a good cricketer is the consistency with which he delivers and Musheer Khan so far in his short career has left no stone unturned in this department. He was a star at the U19 level and in the junior World Cup earlier this year, he scored 360 runs in seven matches at an average of 60 and was the only batter to hit two centuries in the tournament.
However, there are many players who shine at the U19 level but fail to translate for senior sides. Musheer Khan though is on the other side of the spectrum. The right-handed batter is getting better with each level he is crossing and 710 runs in just 7 matches at the first-class level speaks a lot about his consistency and talent.
| Matches | Runs | Highest Score | Average | 100s | 50 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 710 | 203* | 64.54 | 3 | 1 |
He scored an unbeaten double-century in the Quarterfinal of the Ranji Trophy for Mumbai and followed it up with a fifty in the semifinal. In the big final against Vidarbha, he once again stepped up his game and hit a century in the second innings making clear that Mumbai Cricket has unearthed another gem of a talent.
Duleep Trophy was supposed to be a big challenge for the teenager with International bowlers around. However, he delivered and delivered big in conditions where the rest of his senior teammates failed to get going. So, in a brief career, Musheer has displayed a hunger for runs and it is exactly what selectors look for in a young cricketer.
Temperament - Separates Good From The Great
One of the most important virtues that is needed to be successful at the international level is temperament. There have been many players in the past with great talent who just could not make it at the international level because of a lack of temperament. International cricket and pressure go hand-in-hand and if the batter or bowler is able to deliver under pressure, he is bound to get a notch higher than the rest of the lot.
Musheer Khan so far has been spot on in this aspect as well. His double century in the Quarter final of the Ranji Trophy against Baroda came when his team was under immense pressure. Mumbai were four down under 100 with big guns like Ajinkya Rahane and Prithvi Shaw back to the hut. The young batter though kept his nerves, soaked in all the pressure, and crafted some important partnerships with lower-order batters just like he did in the Duleep Trophy game when India B were seven down for 94 runs.
He also scored a century in the final of the Ranji Trophy game and all these knocks clearly show that Musheer thrives under pressure. The likes of MS Dhoni and Kohli are great players because of their ability to deliver under pressure, and young Musheer seems to be moving in the right direction at the moment.
Penchant For Daddy Hundreds
In modern-day cricket, almost every batter seems to be in a hurry to score runs and the art of scoring big hundreds by occupying the crease is quite rare these days. Musheer though seems keen to follow the old-school way. He has shots in his array, but unlike most of his peers, he is willing to spend more time in the middle if the situation demands and does not try to hit out when put under the pump.
Also, all his centuries so far have been big hundreds - one of it converted into a double hundred and in all those knocks, he played more than 300 deliveries, something which is quite rare in modern times, especially from a young cricketer.
All-Round Skills Provides An Edge
In an era of slam-bang cricket, every team looks for a player with all-round skills as they provide better balance and more options. Musheer Khan lives upto this requirement as well. At the U19 level, he played a crucial role with his left-arm spin and also picked two wickets each in the semifinal and the final of the Ranji Trophy.
So, Musheer is more than just a part-time bowler and can deliver against odds with the ball as well. The classic example of it is his spell in the Ranji final where he got big wickets of well-set Karun Nair and Aman Mokhade.
Conclusion
So, Musheer Khan has shown all the ingredients that are required to be successful at the international level, especially in the toughest format of the game - Test cricket. However, if he wants to get that early ticket into the Indian senior side, the A-tour of Australia will be crucial.
If the youngster comes up with goods on that tour against quality Australian bowlers on fast pitches, we might just see Musheer Khan making it early into the Indian team just like Kohli did in 2008 with big performances in Emerging Players tournament in Australia.
 "Aashay Chopade")
