Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: As the dust settles on India’s T20 World Cup triumph, BCCI’s national selectors, in conjunction with the team management, have started charting plans for the World Test Championship (WTC) and the 2027 ODI World Cup. At the centre of the plans is the vexing issue of how to manage superstar pacer Jasprit Bumrah’s workload. The BCCI, TOI understands, wants Bumrah — whose unique action puts extra stress on his 32-year-old body, putting his workload under scanner — to play all nine WTC Tests in the coming season.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!India play a one-off Test against Afghanistan in Chandigarh from June 6 but that is not a part of the WTC cycle. India are due to play two Tests each in Sri Lanka and New Zealand this year before Australia come for a five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Jan next year. Sources told TOI that reviving India’s chances in the current WTC cycle will be the priority this year even as the buzz is about the ODI World Cup. India are currently placed at No. 6 in the WTC table.“The attempt is to keep Bumrah fit enough to play all Tests. He is expected to play the four Tests in Sri Lanka and New Zealand. The challenge will be to keep him fresh for the five Tests at home against Australia. The selectors won’t mind resting him for some ODI series. He played T20 cricket after a gap of two years in the Asia Cup last Sept and still delivered,” BCCI sources told TOI.
Last year, Bumrah had made himself available for three of the five Tests in England. However, the board now wants him to play if he is clinically fit. Bumrah played all four Tests at home after that series. He is expected to play a negligible number of T20Is since the next marquee T20I assignment is two years away.Bumrah will be a key figure in Indian conditions if India are to qualify for the WTC final. India have failed to qualify since Gautam Gambhir took over as head coach. The team has also been whitewashed by New Zealand and South Africa at home. The selectors have communicated that it’s imperative that first-choice Test players be available for Test cricket if they are fit. A call on the Afghanistan Test will be taken at the back end of the IPL after studying player workload.“The idea is to get serious about Tests. The Afghanistan Test may be outside the WTC cycle but there’s nothing like match practice. The top players will be assessed and a call on them will be taken accordingly,” sources said.After being blanked by South Africa last season, India’s Test captain Shubman Gill has advocated for a bigger turnaround time from other formats to prepare for marquee Test series. Last time India played Afghanistan in a Test in 2018, all top players played except Virat Kohli, who was nursing a back niggle. Focus on Padikkal, Jurel, Gaikwad in middle order TOI understands that Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel and Ruturaj Gaikwad are seen as middle order prospects. The team management feels Jurel can be used as a pure batter while Padikkal is seen as someone who can challenge Sai Sudharsan’s place at No. 3. The team management also feels Gaikwad can counter the turning ball in Indian conditions.
