Is it time for a new era in Indian cricket as the BCCI moves on from the legends?

Renowned players such as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have been omitted from India's T20I and ODI squads, along with Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane from the test squad for the upcoming series against South Africa. 

This has sparked speculation among fans about whether the Indian selectors and BCCI are transitioning to a new era in Indian cricket.

What

• The squads for India's South Africa Tour have been unveiled after a thorough and long meeting between the BCCI and Indian selectors panel headed by Ajit Agarkar in New Delhi, for the upcoming all-format tour of South Africa, featuring three T20Is, three ODIs, and two Test matches.

• The fact which has surprised the fans the most is the exclusion of big names like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli from the white-ball squad (T20 and ODI) for the series and Cheteshwar Pujara, R Ashwin, and Ajinkya Rahane from the test squad.

• In-place of Rohit, Suryakumar is set to captian the Indian squad for the T20s and KL Rahul in the ODIs for the South Africa series.

• The BCCI's decision to exclude Kohli and Sharma from white-ball formats is based on the players' personal requests for a break from shorter formats of the game. 
• This move reflects their need for a strategic pause in their cricket commitments and might even hint at their ultimate exit from T20 internationals and ODIs.

Is an exit of the greats the best choice forward?

Impressive stats in the favour of the greats

• Irrespective of India’s ODI World Cup 2023 final defeat, both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli performed miraculously throughout the tournament with the latter even winning the player of the tournament title.

• Virat Kohli scored a total of 765 runs throughout the World Cup and Rohit Sharma scored 597 runs.
• One might say that these stats should be more than enough for BCCI and the Indian selectors to include both of these players in the squad for 2024 T20 World Cup, without any second thoughts. 

Test Cricket

• When it comes both tests, Chesteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane have been constant pillars of the Indian squad
• Pujara has a total of 7195 runs in his 103 international test matches, and Ajinkya Rahane has 5077 runs in his 85.

The age factor 

With the numerous talented players in India, age and fitness has become a major factor when it comes to the game of cricket. 

T20s and ODIs

• Both Virat and Rohit are currently 35 and 36-years-old respectively, which is very close to the ideal age of retirement from the formats like T20 internationals and ODIs. 

• The high intensity and pace demands massive tenacity from the players in these formats, which might turn out to be too much from even the most experienced and in-form player of the game. 
• Both players' request for a break could signal the immense strain from the repeated World Cup games on these high-calibre athletes. 
• The need for a break is evident, reflecting the toll of the rigorous World Cup schedule on their performance.

Tests

• Players like R Ashwin (37), Cheteshwar Pujara (35), Ajinkya Rahane (35) are also close to the ideal retirement age of their career.

• As the 2023-2025 World Test Championship approaches, it's an opportune moment to introduce new talent into the squad. 
• Identifying players capable of representing the team over the two-year tournament could be crucial for success, a factor that must be forcing BCCI’s hand.

Making way for a new generation?

• India is currently stacked with young talents across all formats, with the likes of KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, and Shreyas Iyer as the ideal experienced leaders for the lot.

• Competitions such as the upcoming 2024 T20 World Cup and challenging series, including matchups against teams like South Africa, present an ideal chance for Indian selectors.

• It's an opportune window to introduce promising young talents in their prime, ensuring sustained representation for India in the long term. 

• This strategic move can significantly benefit the team's future prospects.

• Players like Rituraj Gaikwad, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ishan Kishan, Rinku Singh, and Tilak Verma are currently playing the best cricket of their career so far, and the BCCI would want to make the most out of it by putting them into the playing squad.

Lack of T20I game-time for Kohli & Rohit

• The last time both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma played a T20 international match was during their semi-final exit at the 2022 T20 World Cup against England.
• Post that game, neither of them has featured for India in a T20 game, and the only T20 experience for them has come in the form of IPL matches.
• This might also turn into a factor which will be made to give players with more T20 experiences in recent times, rather than depending on players with none.

The caliber and experience of the senior players speak for themselves when it comes to the question of whether they deserve a place in the Indian squad or not, but this might actually be the best time for the Indian cricket team to turn to a new chapter.