“VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly also did in the past”- Harsha Bhogle Feels The Seniors Dropped For SL Series Can Still Fight Their Way Back

BCCI announced the squad for the Sri Lanka series that will happen in March. While the T20I squad was on expected lines, the Test squad had a fairly new look. Veterans such as Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ishant Sharma and Wriddhiman Saha have been sidelined for the tournament. The Test series will start with the first game at Mohali on March 4th while the second game will be on March 12th at Bengaluru. Meanwhile, Harsha Bhogle has had his say on the return of these players back to Team India. In this article, we take a look at what Harsha Bhogle had to say about the comeback of the seniors who dropped for the SL series in March.

Seniors dropped for the SL series

After the loss to South Africa, it was expected that the Indian Test Team will involve a few modifications. In line with this, the core of the middle-order, Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara, has now been dropped. Veteran pacer Ishant Sharma and experienced wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha also do not find a place.

Keeping this in context, Harsha Bhogle said that these players can still fight back with a strong show in the Ranji Trophy. He conceded that it would be hard considering their age, but Harsha gave examples of legends such as VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly who did it in the past. Here is what the popular commentator had to say:

A lot of players have gone back to the Ranji Trophy to fight their way back. That includes VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly and both returned better players for the stage they were in. It is tougher as you get older but you have to wish Ishant, Saha, Rahane and Pujara well

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— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) February 19, 2022

India enters the transition phase

It seems that India has now entered the transition phase for a new era in Test cricket. While Rohit Sharma will take over Virat Kohli as the captain of the Test squad, the middle-order of the batting unit will be without the experienced duo of Rahane-Pujara. Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari and Shubman Gill will fight for the spots in the middle. India has moved on from Saha as the reserve wicket-keeper. KS Bharat will now be the deputy for Rishabh Pant. In the bowling unit, Ishant Sharma has been given a miss. It might be hard for the Delhi lad to make a comeback, with the kind of depth in the department.