Bring back Sarfaraz; drop Nitish Reddy: Decisions Gambhir must take for India's Test redemption

Sarfaraz Khan and Nitish Reddy [Source: AFP]

India had an embarrassing outing in the second Test against South Africa, as the Temba Bavuma-led outfit comprehensively whitewashed them. This was the second time inside thirteen months that a team clean-swept the Indian side in their backyard. More importantly, the defeat against the South Africans pushed India to the brink of another World Test Championship exit against the odds, besides tarnishing their glorious home record. 

India's terrible Test run at home in Gautam Gambhir's coaching stint

(India in home Tests under Gautam Gambhir)

Since Gautam Gambhir has replaced Rahul Dravid as the Test coach, India have played nine home Tests, losing five out of them. While the hosts convincingly clean-swept Bangladesh and the West Indies, they were blanked by the relatively stronger outfits of New Zealand and South Africa. 

This sums up India's miserable run in home Tests since the Bangladesh series last year, demanding a strategic overhaul for redemption. Now, as the BCCI has reportedly decided to continue with Gambhir, here are some reforms the Indian head coach must bring in for the betterment of the team. 

Back domestic giants like Sarfaraz Khan

India's horrible batting was a primary reason behind their two-nil drubbing against South Africa on home soil. Most of the Indian batters found it extremely challenging to thrive in home conditions, as evidenced by the numbers below. 

(India's specialist batters in NZ and SA Tests)

Apart from skipper Shubman Gill and Washington Sundar, none of the Indian batters averaged more than 35 in these two home series combined. One of the reasons why the Indian batters have failed against quality attacks is their non-participation in the domestic games, which could've given them ample practice in home conditions. 

So, ideally, the Gautam Gambhir-led think tank must back the domestic performers, who have repeatedly excelled in Indian conditions. For example, someone like Sarfaraz Khan, with 4863 First-Class runs across 60 matches at an average of 63.15, deserves a recall. 

Sarfaraz, the only Indian batter with a century in these two series, can offer dynamism to the batting lineup, which currently seems a bit timid, comprising players like KL Rahul, Washington Sundar and B Sai Sudharsan. 

The likes of Rinku Singh, Yash Rathod, Baba Indrajith, Rajat Patidar, Harsh Dubey, Saransh Jain and Manav Suthar also deserve a call-up, as they have been truly remarkable as red-ball players in the domestic circuit. 

---

ALSO READ

Gambhir sacking threat: Who could be the replacements, if India fire their Head Coach?

---

Build format specific pools

The jam-packed cricketing schedule is definitely a burden for all-format modern-day players. The likes of Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill and Ravindra Jadeja, who play more than one format, certainly can't keep Test cricket as their top priority all the time. 

Additionally, when a cricketer plays multiple formats in small intervals, his reflexes take over his instincts, leading to unintentional yet costly mistakes. For instance, he begins to chase deliveries which he should ideally leave, making fans and experts doubt his Test credentials. 

This is why India need to prioritise picking specialists for Test cricket, who will be trained and kept match-ready only for red-ball fixtures. Players like Ishant Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ravichandran Ashwin and Wriddhiman Saha, who mostly played Test cricket, were instrumental in India's rise as a potent force on home soil. 

So, to restore their home glory, India should pick format-specific players, whose sole purpose will be to keep themselves ready and excel in the longest format. 

Stop extreme experimentation; move on from plethora of allrounders

The Gautam Gambhir-led management has taken the matchup thing to a whole new level. Player matchups have played a significant role in deciding the Indian batting order in recent times. 

While India have preferred a left-right combination in the middle, several bizarre batting promotions, including the one which saw Washington Sundar coming out at number three, showcased their tendency for extreme experimentation. 

India must understand that a quartet of Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman is one of the most decorated batting combinations in the history of cricket. 

So, it doesn't mean a team must necessarily sandwich a number of left-handers, irrespective of their batting quality, to succeed with the bat. Even if all teams are equipped with data-centric analysis, the Indian batters can dominate them if given a steady run in a particular batting position. 

Furthermore, India should move away from allrounders without pre-defined roles, like Nitish Reddy. The player himself has no idea why he's a part of India's playing XI in a home Test where a bowler of his pace isn't expected to run through the opposition. 

If an existing seam-bowling allrounder doesn't bring quality to the table, it will be a wise decision to prefer specialists over him. After all, quality should be prioritised over quantity, and the sooner Gautam Gambhir's India realise it, the better. 

---

ALSO READ

Dear GG, we need answers: An open letter to India head coach after the SA Test horror

---