Team India’s GenNext calms future fears

There is one Test still to go, but the series against England is won. Bazball has come up short in the toughest place to tour in world cricket. India have won 17 series on the trot at home, and that record is built not just on the opposition’s weaknesses but also on its mastery of the conditions. The win hasn’t come easy, but with India sitting on the unassailable 3-1 lead, it can be easy to forget that the hosts lost the first Test.

The talk, then, was about how Bazball could bulldoze India, how the sweep and its variations could blunt Ashwin & Co, and how the inexperienced batting line-up may not be up to the task. India were missing seniors, among them Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, and Mohammed Shami. It was in this scenario that the youngsters put their hands up. Jaiswal, all of 22, came to the party with 655 runs at an average of 93.57. Shubham Gill scored 342 runs at 48.85. Dhruv Jurel showed he has nerves of ice on his way to making 175 runs at 87.50. Sarfaraz Khan’s debut will be remembered for the two fifties he scored when the hosts were in trouble. And Akash Deep’s spell was worth its weight in gold at Ranchi.

Granted, England’s attack wasn’t great for the conditions, but the determination shown by India’s young bunch augurs well for the future. India’s older pros are not in their prime anymore, and this is probably the right time to start preparing the Next Gen for the big show. It helps that this generation hasn’t grown up trying to find its place in the world game. These players are sure of where they are, and where they want to be. India won’t mind that at all.