Border–Gavaskar Trophy: 'If not now, when' moment for India's youngsters at Gabba
BRISBANE: Morne Morkel was at the start of his short run-up, ready to jog in at the outdoor nets of The Gabba on Friday afternoon. He had been at it for a while on a breezy afternoon in Brisbane.
Facing him at the crease was Yashasvi Jaiswal, who seemingly looked down at his stance just when Morkel was starting. The former South African pacer and India’s current bowling coach stopped midway and gestured with his hand, checking what happened.
Morkel tried to start again, and Jaiswal looked down just then. And again. Thrice in a row.
At this point, Morkel wasn’t amused one bit. This time, he waited. He waited till Jaiswal looked up after looking down and then ran in. A sharp bouncer came the youngster’s way and he ducked. Morkel wasn’t done. He delivered another bumper which Jaiswal awkwardly tried to pull before playing down the last one.
If Morkel had the upper hand for the span of those three balls, Jaiswal, along with Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant (who were the only sure starters turned up for optional training on Thursday), took him on with ease through the rest of his stint. Watching from the outside, it seemed like an instantaneous contest while prepping for a particular tactic, but evidently, there was more to it.
“He keeps teasing us that I used to bowl like this in my youth,” Gill explained of Morkel in the pre-match press conference. “So when we play, we say that the wicket is good to bowl, show us how you used to bowl. We have fun in such contests,” added the youngster.
That, in essence, sums up the kind of attitude this generation of batters have brought to the table. India’s famous win at the Gabba last time around was a result of it. Whether it is the freakish genius of Pant or audacious stroke-making of Gill, or the serenity that Washington Sundar showed, it all played a part in India making history.
As they return to The Gabba with the series levelled 1-1, it is these three youngsters India will be looking at with hope. Yes, KL Rahul looked good in Perth, Virat Kohli scored a century, and Rohit Sharma will continue to search for runs. However, it’s the trifecta of Jaiswal, Gill and Pant who will determine whether India dominate or not. It is these three who haven’t shied away from taking Australia on and has the ability to change the course of the game in a matter of few hours.
They are not intimidated by what Pat Cummins has to say or teasing Mitchell Starc that he is not fast enough. They go into bat looking to take on the ball with no care in the world for whose hand it comes from. They do not have the scars of past series defeats and what happened before their time is irrelevant to them. “I think the last four series we played against Australia, we have won. We have won the last two times, and we have won in India too. If you are a batter, then you should watch the ball, that thing is more in this generation, that it doesn't matter who is bowling,” said Gill.
When they bat together, even if it is at the nets, they talk about not going too far with the attack while ensuring they don’t go into a shell. They know what went wrong for them so far as well. Take the case of Gill. He admits that he missed a straight delivery in the first innings in Adelaide while struggling to sight the full-length inswinger from Starc in the second. However, he knows that the red ball is going to be different. He knows that once it’s 30 overs old, there is a 50-over period where the batters can cash in.
That is what the Indian batting line-up would be looking at when they get on the field in the first innings. Not just the three youngsters, but it has been the discussion amongst everyone.
“As a batting group we are looking to post a big total first up, this has been one of the key discussions and depending on every batter, I think is going to have its own game plan. Collectively we are going to try to get a big first-inning score, that's what the discussion was about after Adelaide,” said Gill.
However, it is not going to be easy. The pitch, while described as a ‘good wicket’, has a tinge of green even after the grass is shaved off. And then there is the forecast for rain on Saturday. While India would want to bat first and put in a big total, it will be interesting to see how the morning of day one looks.
One thing is clear though. Irrespective of when they get to bat, a lot will ride on how the youngsters rise up to the occasion. As former head coach Rahul Dravid famously said to Gill in Ranchi earlier this year, if not them, who? If not now, when?
