Test Cricket's Future Hinges on Selector Decisions - Sunil Gavaskar

India and cricket captain Virat Kohli has undergone huge scrutiny by being the man responsible for that uninspired tour in Australia and that whole disappointing trend across 2024. A word of famous legend of Indian Cricket Sunil Gavaskar said while sharing that his destiny as a pure Test match batsman lies merely on the whim and choices taken by the Selection committee of this Asian side. Gavaskar wants selectors to think forward and include those players who will be likely to play the 2027 World Test Championship final.

The Tough Year of Kohli

The Test numbers for Kohli in 2024 are tough. In 21 innings, Kohli scored just 440 runs at a poor average of 23.15. Even the tour of Australia, a place where he has enjoyed the most success in his career, became a disastrous one. Scoring just 190 runs in 9 innings at an average of 23.75, Kohli’s campaign was punctuated by a solitary century in Perth and frequent dismissals outside the off-stump. These performances have sparked significant criticism about his place in the Indian Test team.

Gavaskar has highlighted that Kohli’s technical struggles have become a glaring issue. “It’s not about temperament; it’s a technical flaw,” Gavaskar remarked. “Kohli has become overly front-foot reliant. On bouncy pitches, he cannot adjust and hence hangs his bat outside the line and edges deliveries. It has become so much a part of his game that it's one of the primary reasons behind his dismissals. Kohli was prone to this method of dismissal during the Australian series as well. He was dismissed via this means in 8 out of 9 innings.

The selectors will have to make a tough call

An indefinite debate over the future of Virat Kohli in Test cricket means that the responsibility squarely lies in the hands of Indian selectors, led by Ajit Agarkar. Gavaskar feels the selection committee alone can chart a course for the future of Indian Test cricket as they gear up for the cycle of the World Test Championship in June 2025 with England.

As a former player and a non-decision maker, I could only comment with my view of things. Let it be between Ajit Agarkar and the selection committee where the future Indian cricket lies, says Gavaskar talking to India Today. The crux of matters is to discover the players, who will also be available during the 2027 WTC final. The selectors need to assess the present team and gauge which players are likely to stay in contention for the next couple of years. This will help in providing stability and a clear direction for the future of the team.

What Gavaskar also says, very importantly, is that not just a winning combination today, but challenges in years ahead should also be prepared. Being still at odds to compete in the WTC final at this moment, winning the immediate next matches should take precedence for the team, although Gavaskar refuses to let that make long-term plans go into a back seat.

The Way Ahead for Kohli and India

This means that the India Test calendar in the coming year gives them a window of opportunity to reform and revamp. June would be a crucial month with the England series when a fresh cycle of the WTC is to begin and fresh chances to redeem for those players are waiting to be exploited. Gavaskar thinks this series and going forward would help assess who makes it into the core Test side.

For Kohli, the way ahead could be a technical correction and rediscovery of his form. Though Kohli has not been in the best of form lately, his leadership experience and past contributions to Indian cricket cannot be ignored. Whether he will be a part of India's Test plans for the next few years will depend on his ability to adapt and the selectors' faith in his potential to regain consistency.

Gavaskar also confessed to the current scenario where India's qualification for the 2023-25 WTC final is subject to how they fare in the remaining matches. "If India wins tomorrow, the door is still open for the WTC final. Beyond that, of course, will be the focus on the England tour and how to prepare for the future," he said.

Conclusion-A Test of Vision for Indian Cricket

It has become a kind of metaphor for the greater Indian cricket challenge in the future- how to achieve short-term gains without sacrificing the long-term cause. Gavaskar calls out for a strategy from the selectors to build up a team to last for a long time in the top-level fray. The final decision will, however, be left to the selection committee, who will decide whether Kohli is to stay in the team or not based on his current performances and prospects for the future.

This is, in fact, a critical juncture in the career of Kohli. With technical flaws to correct and his form to regain, he would silence critics and reassert his worth to the team. Win or lose, this journey would form a defining chapter in the evolution of Indian Test cricket.