Border–Gavaskar Trophy: Where have India’s seaming all-rounders gone?

The Border–Gavaskar Trophy is barely two days from its start, and the hype around the BGT (yes, that’s the acronym) is unbelievable. While the air of anticipation in India is understandable, the Australian cricket media has also gone so far into overdrive that their recent white ball series versus Pakistan almost got the cold shoulder!

While no scrap of information about the Indian camp remains to be uncovered, there is one thought that gnaws at many minds: For all the talk of a 'talent bank' at their disposal, why has India not been able to unearth a seam-bowling all-rounder who can be a regular in the Test squad on tours of at least the SENA countries?

The possibility of Nitish Reddy, an undercooked youngster from Andhra Pradesh with just one IPL season behind him, making a debut in Perth fair begs the question.     

It’s no secret that the drop-in pitch at the Optus Stadium in Perth is going to offer an extra bounce and carry for a longer period of time. The buzz from the Indian camp is that they will go in with a four-pronged pace attack.

While attacking lynchpin Jasprit Bumrah will be leading the side in the absence of Rohit Sharma, Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep are expected to complete the main trio — plus Reddy likely to get the nod as the fourth seamer who can also shore up the batting.  

It’s extremely unlikely that India will play two spinners at least in Perth, and the debate now is which of the two veterans — Ravi Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja — will be a part of the playing XI.

This is what makes the case stronger for 21-year-old rookie Reddy, who may have made an impressive bow in a T20I against Bangladesh but still seems a 'work in progress'. Was there no way that the Indian team management could have convinced Hardik Pandya to take over the role, even if just for key overseas tours?

Barely a few months ago, after India won the T20 World Cup, the legendary Sunil Gavaskar had urged the same. He felt it would for a far more ‘balanced’ side as India went in pursuit of that elusive World Test Championship (WTC) title.

However, Sunny went largely unheeded.

Pandya — who last played Test cricket in 2018, before he suffered a career-threatening back injury — reportedly turned down an offer to play in the WTC final against Australia last year.

It’s quite clear that Pandya — who has played 11 Tests and was once touted as the next big thing among Test all-rounders, after Kapil Dev — will henceforth prioritise white-ball cricket (read: the T20Is and the IPL). Indeed, he cannot be actually forced to compromise on his ‘workload’.

However, there was definitely some merit to Gavaskar’s argument that even if Pandya bowls 10 overs a day, along with batting at No. 6 or 7, India could look a different team Down Under.

Shardul Thakur — who had been one of the unlikely heroes during India’s 2–1 series win last time but then dropped out with a foot injury — celebrated his return to competitive cricket with a match-winning show with the ball for Mumbai, against the Services in the Ranji Trophy.

However, head coach Gautam Gambhir spoke up during his pre-departure press conference about the 33-year-old: “The decision to pick Reddy ahead of Shardul is also about moving forward. I think we’ve picked the best squad who can do the job for us. We all know how incredibly talented Nitish Reddy is, and if given an option, he will deliver for us.” 

The Andhra Pradesh batting-first all-rounder has played 21 first-class games and has hit 1 century, 2 fifties and taken 56 wickets.

The Sunrisers Hyderabad management also showed confidence in him, pushing him up the batting order. His selection is also definitely a reflection of how visibility in the IPL can tilt the scales — but it also betrays the fact there are not too many able contenders for the spot.

When one looks at the man-to-man strength of the squads, one finds Mitchell Marsh filling up the role of the fourth seamer for the hosts. Not long ago, the likes of  the great Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly or even current chief selector Ajit Agarkar (who has a Test century to his name) had carried that role.

Where, then, have India’s seaming all-rounders gone?