No.6, Where art thou ?

Yuvraj Singh is undoubtedly one of India’s finest middle-order batsman in the limited overs format. He has come good for the team more often than not and the manner in which he managed to silence his critics by contributing heavily to India’s success at the World Cup is praiseworthy, especially considering the fact that he ran the risk of being axed from the side owing to a string of below-par performances. Unfortunately, Yuvraj couldn’t make a similar comeback in the longer format to revive his already-fading Test career.

“In the upcoming series against the West Indies and Australia, I want to score big and make a mark in the Test format. I want to restructure my Test career and I’ll raise the bar this time,” he said before the start of the West Indies series. Sadly, neither did he score big and nor was the bar raised in the first two Tests against the West Indies. He was eventually dropped for the last Test. By the looks of it, he will have to wait much longer before he gets another shot at being a permanent fixture of the Indian Test team.

It is said that one man’s loss is another man’s gain. And surely, the immensely talented Rohit Sharma, who was yet to make his Test debut, was picked for the third Test after his successful short stint with Mumbai in this season’s Ranji Trophy. He scored 175 and 100 against Railways and Rajasthan respectively before scoring a fine half-century against Karnataka. Rohit Sharma is another player who has consistently weaved his magic on the domestic front but often faltered to be equally consistent while representing the national side. Nevertheless, he was made to warm the bench for the final Test, as young Virat Kohli was picked to be a part of the playing eleven ahead of him.

Virat Kohli made his Test debut earlier this year when India toured the West Indies immediately after the World Cup. He was the fastest Indian to score a 1000 runs in One-Day Internationals (ODI). With his classy elegance and solid technique, one got the feeling that it wouldn’t require a great deal of effort for Kohli to adjust his style of play and adapt to the testing conditions of the Test matches. However, he soon realized it wasn’t a cake-walk and his experience in his first Test series seemed to be miles away from the comfort level and success he enjoyed in the shorter formats. He struggled against Fiedel Edwards and his short-pitched deliveries. He failed to capitalize on that golden opportunity provided to him.

Having said that, it would be unfair to write off Virat Kohli as only a One-Day specialist just yet knowing that the young lad has played only three Test matches so far. If his achievements in the shorter formats are considered, Kohli promises a lot and has proven that he has the wherewithal to succeed in Test cricket. By being picked for the third Test, Kohli has an excellent opportunity to carve a niche for himself in the game’s original and authentic format, thereby repay the faith his captain and selectors have shown in him.

With India’s big three ready to pass the mantle, Virat Kohli is one of the talented young batsmen possessing tremendous potential and capable of filling the void that will be created once these stalwarts exit, at least to some extent. Considering India’s current batting lineup, it is the lower middle-order that needs more stability and solidity. The No.6 position hasn’t belonged to anybody at least since the last couple of years. Suresh Raina averaged under 30 in the 15 matches he played and Yuvraj Singh averages under 35 in the 37 Tests he was picked for. Both tend to be very inconsistent in the longer format.

It could augur well for Indian cricket if Virat Kohli makes this opportunity given to him count, unlike Yuvraj and Raina, and by doing this, he will unlock for himself a whole new world of opportunities by getting selected for the tour of Australia. Also, by picking Rohit Sharma in the squad for the final Test, the selectors have probably hinted that me might well be on the plane to Australia. All in all, it will be an exciting contest between a new-look Australian side and India, and hopefully this series will put an end to India’s quest for a No.6 batsman.