Why selectors did the right thing by not picking Gambhir, Raina or Uthappa for Champions Trophy

Photo: BCCI

New Delhi: When the nation was basking in glory of finally knowing the coveted truth about a certain celluloid murder, the movie was dishing out thousands of crores worldwide. But the climax of Bahubali 2: The Conclusion was not only about ‘Why Kattappa killed Bahubali’, it was far greater, grander, surpassing mundane expectations. Away from all this, country’s another driving force cricket, threw up a question of same demeanour. “Will India pull out of Champions Trophy?”  Unlike the silver screen, the sport failed to live up to the expectations when it was answered. It produced an antic-climatic end in two parts – First with a unanimous ‘No’ from the BCCI State Cricket Association members and then through a largely predictable 15-member squad chosen by the national selectors for the title defense.

Beneath the anti-climax, laid a definite well thought out approach of the MSK Prasad led selection committee. 434 runs in 12 innings, no Raina, 425 runs in same number of innings, still no Gambhir, 384 runs in 9 innings, no Uthappa either.  Quite clearly, heroics in the IPL was ignored and so were the bluffs. And as demeaning as it may sound, the selectors did the right thing.

For the first time since 2013, IPL is followed by a tournament as big as the Champions Trophy. The last three times it was succeeded either by a Zimbabwe or a Bangladesh tour, paving way for IPL performance. However, this time the selectors got over the short-term memory of IPL, lend their deep focus on a largely unglamorous domestic season.

Gambhir turned up for 5 matches for Delhi after he was shown the door in an unceremonious way from India’s Test brigade that thumped England. His Ranji average was a modest 29. His KKR teammate, Uthappa did not even find a place in the playing XI of Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy quarter final. 

Gambhir was a bigger disappointment in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. His dry run continued in the Syed Mushtaq Ali zonal T20 tournament also when a star-studded North Zone failed to make it to the finals.

To be fair to Gambhir and Raina, they have had a terrific IPL, leading their sides from the front and standing out with the bat more often than not. But both of them were never in reckoning for a place in the Champions Trophy squad. The indications were crystal clear when both the southpaws were excluded from BCCI’s central contract released earlier in March. 

Who would open for India in the testing English conditions? Would ask a fan who had seen Gambhir battling against all odds in the grandest stages of them all to get India the golden trophy after 28 years. To his disappointment the answer lies with Rohit Sharma, who is an automatic choice after regaining fitness. A few Eyebrows rise though, when spotlight turns towards his mustache-twirling partner – Shikhar Dhawan.  

Dhawan had a forgettable domestic season, just like Gambhir, Raina and Uthappa, if not worse. He lost his India whites to KL Rahul but when it comes to white ball cricket very few can match his prowess. May be a hard fact to digest but Dhawan also was an automatic choice as an opener. He averaged 42.71 in 2016 before getting benched because of an injury. As per handling the English conditions are concerned, he returned as the highest scorer by some distant in the last Champions Trophy in 2013. More importantly the English summers are different now. Ball doesn’t zip past the bat. Damp pitches don’t further dampen the mood of team’s from subcontinent. 

Out of the 15 chosen to defend the crown in England, debate can only be done on Rahane’s spot, who managed to get in as Rahul is sidelined. A certain Rishab Pant was hard done by. He fitted into the selector’s frame to perfection with noticeable performances in both domestic and IPL. But keeping the ferocity of the tournament in mind, selectors went with the experienced Rahane. The rest pretty much picked themselves.

With both the desired questions answered, India has fast forwarded to the next big query. Can India win the Champions Trophy again?  The answer will start unfolding from June 4th when Indian cricket’s Bahubali Virat Kohli leads the charge against neighbors Pakistan.