With the end of the 2023-25 World Test Championship cycle looming for India, what is the status of their squad members heading into the next one?
Stick
Yashasvi Jaiswal is India's best opener in Test cricket right now, and certainly has a claim to being the side's best batter at present. At this point in his career, there's no question of dropping him.
Shubman Gill hasn't always had a smooth ride in Indian colours, but 2024 has been kinder to him. His unbeaten half-century against England in Ranchi remains fresh in the memory, and he has had a century against Bangladesh and a 90 against New Zealand to back it up. The upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy could be significant for him, though.
Jasprit Bumrah is possibly the world's best bowler. He will be left out here and there to give him a rest, but there's no further explanation required. India need to hang on to him like gold dust.
Axar Patel has proven to be an excellent back-up to Ravindra Jadeja, holding his own with bat and ball in Test cricket. It may not be long before he becomes the first-choice all-rounder for India.
Kuldeep Yadav remains an excellent red-ball bowler, his lack of opportunities notwithstanding. There's no guarantee that appearances will be easier to come by down the line, but the management undoubtedly needs to keep hold of him.
Rishabh Pant returned from his knee injury earlier this year, and it's like he never left. He is India's first-choice wicketkeeper and one of their most important batters. As long as he is fit and available, there is no question over his spot.
Mohammed Siraj has had a tough time of things lately, and has a general tendency to blow hot and cold. That being said, he is still a Test-match quality seam bowler, and is worth persisting with for the forseeable future.
Sarfaraz Khan has only just broken into the Test setup, and has played a few quality innings so far. Between that and his stellar domestic record, he needs to be given more chances to cement a spot in the lineup.
Akash Deep has shown great promise in his limited career so far. If he can impress in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, it might not be long until he overtakes Siraj as India's clear-cut No.2 pacer.
Dhruv Jurel deputised admirably with both bat and gloves against England, and was integral to India's victory in Ranchi. He may have done enough to earn a spot as a batter alone, but either way needs to be kept around the setup.
Prasidh Krishna had some forgettable outings in South Africa, but is still a prospect India can look to expose a bit more in Test cricket (fitness permitting). He's far from a sure shot in a Test lineup, but is worth persisting with.
Washington Sundar made a stellar comeback to Test cricket against New Zealand, and looks a far more complete cricketer than he did a few years ago. If all goes well, he should be the first name on India's succession plan for R Ashwin.
Devdutt Padikkal scored a fifty on Test debut, and has recently impressed for India A in Australia. India lose nothing by keeping him in and around the setup, to give him opportunities whenever possible.
Either Way
Rohit Sharma's captaincy came under the scanner in the defeat to New Zealand, but more worrying for India is his form with the bat. The Border-Gavaskar Trophy will likely play a massive role in determining his future. A good series could extend it, but another poor one could force India to pull the plug on his time in the red-ball setup.
Virat Kohli's form has been on the downturn for a few years now. Like Rohit, he will no doubt be an integral part of the team for the tour of Australia, but again, that series could have quite a large bearing on which way India decide to go for the next cycle. At this point, Kohli is closer to stick than twist, particularly given his good overseas form, but only just.
Read more: Virat Kohli looks set to end his Test career below top rank of all-time greats
Ravichandran Ashwin also struggled against New Zealand, but his future is rather uncertain. He will travel to Australia, but history suggests his game time there will be quite limited. With India not having another home Test until next October, he might make way sooner rather than later.
Ravindra Jadeja is probably closer to stick rather than twist at this point. But in case India do decide to revamp the team for the next WTC cycle, he could make way given the ready-made replacement they have in Axar Patel.
KL Rahul is in an interesting position. Often one of India's best bats overseas, his record in home Tests remains underwhelming. The team management have suggested they want to give him a long rope at No.6, but he was dropped for two Tests soon after that. India need to decide whether his returns away from home are worth keeping him around for.
Ishan Kishan landed himself in hot water recently for some disparaging comments towards an umpire while playing for India A. He has impressed on occasion in domestic cricket, with his inclusion in the 'A' team perhaps an indication that India do not want to move on from him just yet. He will need to do more to force his way into a starting lineup, though.
Twist
Shreyas Iyer lost his BCCI central contract earlier this year, and has failed to really make his mark in domestic cricket. A recall seems a long way away, and it may be best for both him and India if he were to focus on ODI cricket, by far his best format.
Rajat Patidar had some rotten luck during his only Test series, against England. That being said, there are no indications that he will be more than a backup player, a decent way down in a long line of talented Indian batters.
KS Bharat has likely been overtaken in the wicketkeeping pecking order by Dhruv Jurel. With Ishan Kishan also knocking about as a backup for Rishabh Pant, his Test career is unlikely to go any further.
Mukesh Kumar has just impressed for India A in Australia, but it might be time for India to move on from him. With the emergence of Akash Deep, as well as the likes of Harshit Rana and potentially Prasidh Krishna and Mayank Yadav in the pipeline, the Indian pace-bowling armoury is quite well-stocked.
Ajinkya Rahane has more or less been moved on from. His patchy form in domestic cricket for Mumbai has also not helped, and the India chapter of his career looks to be closed.
Shardul Thakur remains a potentially useful cricketer in overseas Tests, but between two emerging players in Nitish Kumar Reddy and Harshit Rana, his services may very soon not be required at all.
Jaydev Unadkat has done nothing wrong, but similar to Mukesh, his time to play for India might have come and just gone. Like Mukesh, he's not a bad backup option, but is by no means a necessity.
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