With the coronavirus rupturing the schedule of all the sporting events including cricket, the managing boards across the globe are looking at an outrageous idea of playing the two contrasting formats of cricket, Tests, and T20Is at the same time to cover up the financial losses and bring back the lost time in bilateral cricket.
While the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is considering fielding two different teams, Cricket Australia has almost done in the past, so for them, it wouldn’t be a difficult thing.
“None of us know when sport, especially international cricket will resume. But if we have to safeguard all our stakeholders – from sponsors to spectators – one of the options is to select two different squads and play a Test series and a T20I series simultaneously,” a BCCI official revealed.
So if India indeed play a Test and a T20I on the same day, then the teams could look very different and Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, both would get a chance to captain the national side on the same day. It would be scintillating for the audiences as they would be able to live through the patience and concentration of players during the day time and big-hitting charisma at the night, at the same time.
Test team
Captain – Virat Kohli
Since Virat Kohli has an amazing average as a Test captain and is arguably the best batsman in all three formats, the selection committee along with Virat himself would have to think where he should play? Ideally, playing against a strong team like Australia or any other team from the SENA countries, Kohli must obviously be included in the Test side, as Rohit Sharma has an amazing experience of leading a side in the T20s.
Therefore, the expertise of Kohli would be required in the Test arena, both as a batsman and a leader.
Batsmen
While the Test and limited-overs teams already have different openers, it would make things easy for the selectors. Mayank Agarwal, who has been in red hot form in the World Test Championship with two double hundreds, would be the leading opener. However, instead of Prithvi Shaw, Shubman Gill, who has had amazing Ranji seasons in the last two years, must be given an opportunity.
The middle order is set already with the likes of Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane and Hanuma Vihari, who are Test specialists. Alongside them, it would be captain Kohli who would be anchoring the ship in the middle.
Bowlers
With six formidable batsmen, the bowling line up would also have to be extremely tight and the kind of bench strength the team has, it doesn’t at all would look a second strung line up if you play, Ravichandran Ashwin as the sole spinner alongside the pace trio of Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav.
Both Ishant and Umesh have only played in the Tests for quite a long time and Ashwin is also a Test specialist now. He could be well supported by all-rounder Hanuma Vihari with his part-time off-spin as well.
Wicket-keeper
Since Wriddhiman Saha has been the perfect match behind the gloves, he would not find any competition.
Even after putting on two different teams, the bench strength remains strong with the presence of the likes of Prithvi Shaw, Kuldeep Yadav, Navdeep Saini and KS Bharat.
Playing XI: Mayank Agarwal, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli(c), Ajinkya Rahane(VC), Hanuma Vihari, Wriddhiman Saha(wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma.
Bench: Prithvi Shaw, KS Bharat, Kuldeep Yadav, Navdeep Saini.
T20I Team
Captain – Rohit Sharma
The debate of whether Rohit Sharma should be given the limited-overs captaincy has been going on for quite some time. It, therefore, would be a correct opportunity to test Rohit Sharma and his skills as Team India’s skipper, since Kohli would lead the Test side. With both players leading India in different formats, but at the same time, the fans and critics of both of them would get an amazing opportunity to compare the two leaders.
Rohit is a four-time IPL winning captain, therefore him leading the side in absence of Virat would be a boost for the players.
Batsmen
Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, and KL Rahul have been amazing in the recent limited-overs cricket for Team India. While Rahul has been the run machine with 447 runs in the last 9 innings of the limited-overs at an average of more than 63, Shreyas Iyer too showed his class in New Zealand. Both Rohit and Shikhar are proven talents while Manish Pandey with his brilliant fielding and down the order hitting is the perfect number five.
Bowlers
You need multi-tasking players in T20s and this team has got the multi-taskers. With Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja contributing amazingly with both bat and ball, the swing duo of Deepak Chahar and Bhuvneshwar Kumar can bat a bit as well. With perfection in bowling in the form of Bumrah and clever leggie such as Chahal, the team looks perfectly balanced.
Wicket-Keeper
With KL Rahul donning the gloves, the balance of the team becomes even more lethal as it can play two all-rounders instead of one.
The bench strength is also as good as it gets with the likes of hitter Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, all-rounders Harshal Patel, Wahington Sundar, and fast bowler, Shardul Thakur warming the bench and ready for a ‘like for like’ replacement in case of any injury.
Playing XI: Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma(c), Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(wk), Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Chahar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah
Bench: Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Shardul Thakur, Harshal Patel, Washington Sundar.