While India prepares to face the Proteas in a decisive Test series, a number of its Test stars both current performers and young talents are to play the subsequent rounds of the Ranji Trophy. The decision has come on the insistence of head coach Gautam Gambhir, who has repeatedly stressed that there should be competitive game practice rather than training exercises at the National Cricket Academy (NCA).
Players such as Ravindra Jadeja, Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, and Narayan Jagadeesan – all are part of India’s red-ball setup will take part in domestic first-class games, not having been a part of the current white-ball series against Australia. The return of Rishabh Pant is also likely, he is expected to make an appearance in second round of Ranji for Delhi.
After the ODI series, KL Rahul, Dhruv Jurel, and Prasidh Krishna are also expected to return to their respective state teams to get valuable red-ball exposure before the two-Test series begins on November 14 in Kolkata.
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Even with a congested schedule the T20 series against Australia concludes a week ahead of the first Test Gambhir has emphasized the importance of players coming in more than ready. He believes that the most effective way to prepare for Test cricket is to play high-intensity domestic matches. Drawing on the successful buildup to the West Indies series earlier this year, when a number of Test prospects impressed in India A games against Australia A and England Lions, Gambhir re-emphasized his faith in that preparation model.
“But again, the guys who are just part of Test cricket, I think for them to prepare and play domestic cricket is very, very important. Rather than just going to NCA (COE) and working on their skills, I think the more they play for the Test matches, it is very important for the team,” Gambhir said.
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“Sometimes it is difficult, but that is what professionalism is all about. Try and use the days to the best of their ability because we know that there are very quick turnarounds, especially from here to one-day cricket, then T20 cricket, and then, what, after four days, back to Test cricket,” Gambhir said.
With a string of four-day games against South Africa A also on the cards, the message from the Indian camp is sharp: red-ball performance in domestic cricket will be the key to Test success.
