Indian Test cricket is in for exciting times
It is only befitting that youngsters in the Indian cricket team should have dazzled when the legendary Sachin Tendulkar is one Test away from hanging his boots. It heralds well for the passing of the baton, so to say, although Tendulkar will remain unmatched and his absence hard to compensate for. The combined efforts of Test debutants Rohit Sharma and Mohammad Shami and youngster R Ashwin wrapped up the first Test against West Indies in three days. The touring side was left with a humiliating loss by an innings and 51 runs. While the West Indians will surely be determined to wipe off the memory as they go into the final Test in Mumbai — which will also be Tendulkar's last in his illustrious career spanning two decades — in a positive frame of mind, they will have to contend with an energised Indian side. And why only they, other teams too now have to take notice of the rising power of the young in the Indian Test side.
But, while celebrations are in order, we must keep our fingers crossed. In the past the Indian side has had many promising youngsters who burst into the team with a string of performances. Unfortunately, they could not sustain their potential. The names of pacers Ishant Sharma, Sreesanth and Irfan Pathan come instantly to mind. Although they were hailed as the new sensational finds, they soon lost both speed and accuracy. It is to be hoped that Shami, who snapped up nine wickets on his Test debut in Kolkata, will learn lessons from the failures of these bowlers. The role of senior mentors in and outside the team will be crucial. If he wants to cement his place in the Test side, he will have to demonstrate consistency in performance. He has a long way to go and the experience that he will gain along the way should help him mature as a player.
As for Rohit Sharma, he has heralded his presence in the five-dayers after having sparkled in the one-day versions. Indeed, in the limited overs format, Rohit Sharma has had to often play a secondary role to the swash-buckling performances of the likes of Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan. He seized upon the very first opportunity he got to play a Test by ending up just 23 short of a double-hundred. But again, it remains to be seen whether he can maintain the tempo in the coming Tests. He will know that competition is fierce — and not just from the rival teams but also from the talented bunch of players from the Indian side who are waiting in the wings to break into the team. The same is true for others like R Ashwin, who has been showing glimpses of emerging as a commendable all-rounder. It's too early to say if he will be another Mohinder Amarnath, not to speak of another Kapil Dev — both pacers, unlike Ashwin. His century (his second in Tests) and the three-wicket haul in Kolkata have raised expectations. The Indian side has not had a genuinely good all-rounder since the days of Kapil Dev, Amarnath and Roger Binny. Ashwin has the chance to change that.