Harish Kotian writes on cricket and sports. You can e-mail the author at harishk@rediff.co.in
While the whole batting unit faltered, the spotlight fell firmly on seniors Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, whose lean patches in recent times have become a matter of concern.
LSG Team Mentor Zaheer Khan has flown to Australia to discuss with Rishabh Pant about taking over the captaincy for IPL 2025.
'He's got a pretty good record against Indian batsmen (123 wickets in 28 Tests versus India).' 'In India too he has a great record (56 wickets in 11 Tests in India), that is a pretty good record against a country that traditionally plays spin very well.'
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the second Test against Australia in Adelaide?
'Every game that he has been part of, where India has won across formats, you will see that Bumrah has left a big imprint on that game.'
While the IPL 2025 mega auction is expected to reward several young talents with huge pay cheques, a few seasoned stars could also steal the show.
'What is the use of talent if that player plays so many Tests and averages below 35 after a few years of being in the Indian team?'
'You can only break through the doors or force the selectors to pick you for the Indian team by scoring runs consistently in domestic cricket and that is what he has done in the last so many years.'
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the first Test against Australia in Perth?
Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, K L Rahul and Arshdeep Singh headline the top bracket of elite players at the IPL mega auction.
'People should realise he is an impact player, like Virender Sehwag.' 'You don't expect these players to score a 70-80 every time they bat, but whenever they score they will win matches for your team.'
'The world is yet to watch him, show his prowess as a batter, but given the chance he will do a great job.'
'They need batters who can bat out a full session in Australia.' 'You have seniors like Pujara and Rahane, who are scoring runs in domestic cricket. They have experience of Australian conditions too.' 'They should be given a chance to make a comeback, no harm in trying especially when your batting line-up is not even lasting a full session.'
Poor batting, poor leadership, clueless coaches...
For India, the biggest disappointment was the poor showing of their senior most players Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin.
Heinrich Klaasen is the most expensive retained player in IPL history.
Shreyas Iyer, who led KKR to the IPL 2024 title, could be headed for the players' auction after failing to make a breakthrough in negotiations, while K L Rahul is also unlikely to be retained by LSG.
New Zealand can become only the second team to inflict a series whitewash on India in their backyard.
Rohit has managed just one half-century in his last eight innings in which he has tallied 104 runs. Kohli's freefall in Test cricket continues. He has fallen to spin three times in the first two Tests. Ashwin, usually, dominant at home, managed just six wickets in the first two Tests at an average of 43.
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