The 3-0 drubbing against New Zealand at home last year was a “lesson” that “we don’t want repeated again”. That’s the sentiment within the India team, according to chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar, as they build towards their first home Test since that defeat last November.
“Of course, because of the WTC [World Test Championship]every Test match becomes very important,” Agarkar said at a press conference to announce the India Test squad for the two-Test series against West Indies starting on October 2 in Ahmedabad. “Obviously, we had a terrible series against New Zealand. Maybe it was a wake-up call. It was a lesson. We don’t want that repeated. We’ve generally been, over a long time, very strong at home. It was after a while that we had a few bad results. And we want to try and put it behind.
“All these four Test matches that we play at home, to West Indies and to South Africa, become very critical. We want to try and get as many points as possible, particularly at home. It’s a game, so anything is possible. But we don’t want to try and let what happened against New Zealand happen again.”
Agarkar’s words don’t just underline the importance of results, but also the need for stability. And one of the key areas India have identified is the No. 3 slot, which over the better part of this century was occupied by two greats, Rahul Dravid and Cheteshwar Pujara.
‘Hope to give Sai a longish run from now on’
Building forward, India are keen to find a long-term option for No. 3. And for now, the search seems to have ended with B Sai Sudharsan, who, the selection committee hopes, will be able to repay the faith. Agarkar thinks the signs are promising and there is a clear runway now for him to make that spot his own.
In three Tests in England, Sudharsan scored 140 runs across six innings with a solitary half-century. Over the past two weeks, he has struck two half-centuries playing at No. 3 for India A against Australia A.
“Eventually, it’s a little bit about continuity,” Agarkar explained. “I think there were a few changes at No. 3 [in England]because of the combination that we played.
“So that just depends on what the captain and the coach at that point want, and what balance they want. But as far as going forward is concerned, Sai has shown a lot of promise. We know he’s a very good player. Hopefully, we can give him a longish run from now on, at a particular number. Hopefully, going forward, we can give these guys time to actually build their careers.”
With Karun Nair dropped for the home series, the selectors have now turned to his state junior, Devdutt Padikkal as a potential middle-order candidate. Having begun his career as an opener, Padikkal has carved a niche in the middle order over the past two seasons across formats. And his recent run of form, just like Sai Sudharsan’s, has been encouraging.
After missing the A tour to England due to an injury, Padikkal has impressed for India A recently, scoring 150 in last week’s first unofficial Test in Lucknow. With Rishabh Pant injured, it’s likely Padikkal will have an opportunity at No. 5 this time around. Agarkar has backed him to be a strong contender for No. 6 along with Nitish Kumar Reddy in the long run, when the injured Pant returns to reclaim the No. 5 spot.
“Obviously, Devdutt can bat [in the middle order],” Agarkar said. “He batted at No. 4, if I’m not wrong, in Dharamsala [on Test debut against England] and No. 3 in Perth. These are things that eventually the captain and the coach look at, what the best balance is. But Nitish showed a lot of promise.
“Even the way he bowled well at Lord’s. And the way he batted under pressure in the second innings. Plus, his batting in Australia has shown he’s got the potential. And he’s still a young kid. He was developing his game.
“So, the more he plays, the better he’s going to get. And we obviously have an eye on him. So, if he does develop into that allrounder that you always keep looking for, it does give you a lot of flexibility with the XIs that you pick and the balance you can create in the team.”
‘Shami needs to play something’ to be considered
One of the things Agarkar has often underlined in his tenure as selector is the need for players to prove form and fitness by regularly featuring in first-class cricket. It’s down to this that Mohammed Shami and Ishan Kishan aren’t in the scheme of things.
Shami has featured in two red-ball games over the past three seasons due to a series of injuries. While he was part of the 2025 Champions Trophy squad earlier this year, Shami hasn’t come close to a national call-up since, primarily due to his lack of volume in domestic cricket.
“He’s not played a lot of cricket,” Agarkar said. “In the last two-three years, I think he’s played one match for Bengal and one match in the Duleep Trophy. So, as a performer, we know what he can do. But, he will need to play something.
“And Ishan – when we picked him for India [as Pant’s replacement in England]he was not yet fit anyway. [N] Jagadeesan was part of the last Test match that we picked when Ishan was injured. He [Ishan] is a very good player as we know. But we’d like him to play a bit more cricket and show some performances.”
‘We want Shreyas playing, and playing well’
As for Shreyas Iyer, Agarkar was clear that he is still a key member of the 50-overs set-up. On Thursday, the BCCI confirmed Iyer had sought a six-month break from red-ball cricket to “build endurance” before he can be considered again.
For now, Iyer has been named captain of India A for three 50-over games against Australia in Kanpur, ahead of next month’s ODI series in Australia. When asked if this late change in leadership – after Rajat Patidar and Tilak Varma were originally announced as captains – hinted at a bigger role for Iyer, Agarkar was categorical that it should not be seen as a sign of him being lined up for the ODI captaincy.
“I don’t think we’ve discussed the 50-over format yet,” he stated. “At the moment, we have to pick a Test squad. Shreyas is a senior player. He obviously leads his franchise in the IPL. He’s one of the senior guys. He was captain for India A [for four-day matches] as well. It’s not like because of that, we’re looking at him as a Test captain. We’re trying to find qualities of a leader in a lot of people.
“In India A, he gives us an opportunity to see if somebody has that ability. I think the statement [on him taking a break] was put out already. With regards to his fitness, in terms of red-ball cricket, he won’t be available, and that gives us a chance.
“He’s been a key player in one-day cricket over the last few years. He gets three games before we go to Australia. More than anything, we want him playing and playing well because he becomes a key member in the one-day squad.”
Shashank Kishore is a senior correspondent at ESPNcricinfo
