One of the things that India struggled to do whether against New Zealand at home or in Australia is to take 20 wickets. Oftentimes questions were raised about the combination preferred as they packed the playing XI with all-rounders to have the batting depth. Gandhi believes that unless a player is a genuine all-rounder — who can take wickets and maybe score a hundred or play long if needed — it might affect the ability to take 20 wickets in a Test match.
“If you recall that phase between 2016-20 India predominantly played with pure bowlers. If you have an all-rounder, fine, but the primary skill is very important. If somebody’s playing as a bowler, he should be good enough to take five wickets. In the process, if you discover somebody who’s extremely talented, who can do both, who can bowl probably 135KPH and also bat and get a hundred possibly, then nothing like it,” Gandhi said, before adding, “Nitish K Reddy looks very much the part the way he is batted throughout the series. I think this particular tour will give him a lot of confidence. If he can improve on his fitness, get a yard quicker, then he can be a handy all-rounder.”
Gandhi also feels that the selectors and Indian cricket should consider bringing someone senior like Sachin Tendulkar, or VVS Laxman for overseas tours as batting consultants, especially with so many youngsters in the side. “These are two names which come straight away to my mind. They have a world of experience. They have scored runs all over the world. So, why not? One particular series, if needed, they can definitely be used,” he says.
While all the focus remains on the Test team, the white-ball transition takes care of itself with the next generation of players coming through the ranks. There, too, however, time will tell how the ODI transition goes after the Champions Trophy. The challenge for head coach Gautam Gambhir and selectors will be to not mix up formats. “When it comes to the white-ball format, I think the boys are very experienced. There is Sanju Samson is doing well, Tilak Varma… Shubman Gill is in the scheme of things. The way that these talented youngsters are coming through IPL, I don’t think there is going to be much of an issue. Just that they need to keep the momentum going,” Gandhi said.
