Virat, Rohit will have to lead the way in Australia series: Vengsarkar

The two-Test series between India and an upbeat Bangladesh, starting at Chennai on Thursday, 19 September will only serve as an appetiser for lovers of the traditional format of the game. Rohit Sharma & Co, who are currently leading the World Test Championship (WTC) standings, have a bonanza of 10 Tests lined up until the New Year, with a rare five-Test series Down Under.

‘’I know there are no easy games in WTC, but I am really looking forward to the Australia tour where they will be playing five Tests after a long time.  I remember playing a five-Test series there in 1977-78 and despite the Kerry Packer World Series going on, the stands used to be packed as the Aussies love their Test cricket,’’ Indian batting legend Dilip Vengsarkar said.  

Speaking to National Herald over phone, the former India captain said an India-Australia series generates no less fanfare than Ashes now in that part of the world. ‘’I am extremely optimistic of India making it a hattrick of series wins there as we have a full-strength team this time with an enviable bench strength. It will be an absorbing series but Virat and Rohit will have to lead the way to set up the matches,’’ he said.

The WTC rankings for the 2023-25 cycle, with the final scheduled at the Lord’s next year, has India at the top of the table with six wins out of nine Tests, No.2 Australia in second (eight wins out of 12), New Zealand third (three out of six) and Bangladesh a surprise package in fourth (three out of six) ahead of the likes of Sri Lanka, England and South Africa – in that order.

No wonder, Rohit feels the Bangladesh series is no ‘dress rehearsal’ for the bigger series against the Kiwis which follows at home and then the Australia tour. ‘’Every game we play is important. No dress rehearsal here [in the context of the Bangladesh series]. Every game becomes important because of what is at stake. The [standings] table is still quite open. And every game is important,” the skipper said at a media conference.

The spotlight will be trained a lot on the Big Two from now on as both, along with senior allrounder Ravindra Jadeja, will not have national T20 duties as a distraction anymore. Asked if their T20 retirement will mean both Virat and Rohit can channelise their energies better on the longer format, Vengsarkar felt a lot depended on the Test match calendar. ‘’If they are playing 10-15 Tests a year, then it’s fine but it doesn’t happen too often. There is no alternative to spending time at the crease – whichever format you are playing in,’’ he observed.

Vengsarkar feels that the onus is also on the younger members of the team to consolidate their places in the Test squad given the upcoming opportunities. ‘’While someone like Yashasvi Jaiswal has to continue from where he had left off in the England series, Shubman Gill needs to be more consistent. For Sarfaraz, the five Tests at home will be an opportunity to press a claim for the Australia series,’’ he said.   

KL Rahul conundrum  

The Bangladesh series, meanwhile, marks the comeback of KL Rahul to the India Test set-up. Always a class act to watch, Rahul’s average of 34 in Tests doesn’t do justice to his potential and experience in the format but Rohit hinted he would continue to support him.

“Everyone has an up-and-down career,” Rohit said. “The kind of quality KL Rahul has, everybody knows. The message to him from our side was we want him to play all the games and bring the best out of him. He has done well of late, [he] scored hundred against South Africa. Scored a good knock in Hyderabad, but unfortunately got injured.

“I hope he continues from where he left in Hyderabad. I don’t see any reason why he can’t flourish in Test cricket. Opportunities are there. Important for him to understand how he wants to take his career forward.”

However, the bigger problem for the Indian team management is managing their pace resources through a demanding schedule – with lynchpin Mohammed Shami still not in a position to confirm his availability after the ankle injury. The captain hinted they would be game to rotating the bowlers: “You want the best players to play all the games, but that’s not possible. You’ve to see what’s best for the team and manage your bowlers accordingly.

“We’ll monitor that for our bowlers. We’ve managed to do that in the England series. We got rest for Bumrah and Siraj. We will keep assessing them. You want everyone to play all the games, but it’s not in our hands. We saw some exciting prospects in Duleep Trophy. I am not too worried about the kind of bowlers waiting in the wings.”

INDIA’S UPCOMING TESTS

Versus Bangladesh:

1^st Test: Chennai (19-23 Sept)

2^nd Test: Kanpur (27 Sept-1 Oct)

Versus New Zealand:

1^st Test: Bengaluru (16-20 Oct)

2^nd Test: Pune (24-28 Oct )

3^rd Test: Mumbai (1-5 Nov)

Versus Australia:

1^st Test: Perth (22-26 Nov)

2^nd Test: Adelaide (6-10 Dec, Day-Night)

3^rd Test: Brisbane (14-18 Dec)

4^th Test: Melbourne (26-30 Dec)

5^th Test: Sydney (3-7 January, 2025)