Why India are handing out more international debuts than ever?

India have handed several caps to youngsters over the last few years. This decision from the selectors and the team management has received mixed responses from fans and experts.

One of the reasons behind so many cricketers making their debuts for India is the huge volume of matches the Men in Blue are playing every year. While the BCCI is helping developing teams like Afghanistan and Zimbabwe by agreeing to play series against them, this is increasing the number of matches the Asian giants are playing each year.

This has to be complemented with squad rotation, as players need to be rested so that they can freshen up, both mentally and physically and prepare for the more important assignments.

The legendary Sunil Gavaskar, while welcoming BCCI’s move to help teams like Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, and Sri Lanka, said that handing debuts frequently is cheapening the value of the India cap.

“Yes, BCCI is like the elder brother to countries like Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, and Sri Lanka, and have always tried to help them grow on the field and boost their finances by touring these countries. However, our cricketers’ health and fitness are also crucial and there should be a clear month’s rest for our players in the year. India is blessed with talent and so you can rotate the players but that is cheapening the India cap. The cap mustn’t be given because a player replaces the undroppable player who is rested. It has to be earned,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for Mid-Day.

“In the Test against Afghanistan who have been honest triers but nothing more, Shubman Gill and KL Rahul scored centuries, and Manav Suthar made an impressive debut. Jasprit Bumrah was rested but wouldn’t he have liked to have added a fifer or a tenfer to his career record against this team. When India is playing, then the best team must play, unless there are injuries of course. But this resting because of workload must be avoided as much as possible. Have a look at the calendar and you will see that India is playing every month somewhere or the other,” he added.

Also, the IPL is going to be played in an entirely home-away format soon. The number of matches are going to increase. It will be even more important for players to be rested. Also, there are so many important ICC events lined up in the coming years. Apart from the T20 World Cup and the 50-over World Cup, the World Test Championship and the Champions Trophy are crucial events happening from time to time.

The likes of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are playing only one format, which is the ODI format. However, it is important that they are given adequate rest as they are in the twilight stage of their careers. It will be crucial to preserve them and have them mentally and physically fit for the ODI World Cup next year.

One advantage India has over most other teams is its massive talent depth. This means that when a player is making his debut, he has outperformed many other talented cricketers to earn that spot. In the recent home series against Afghanistan, Manav Suthar made his debut in the Test format, while Gurnoor Brar and Harsh Dubey earned their maiden caps in the ODIs. All three of them made a mark, accentuating the immense talent in Indian cricket.

In the coming weeks, promising youngsters like Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Suryansh Shedge are expected to make their international debuts. Fans can expect them to make an impact from the word go as India’s highly-competitive domestic structure prepares youngsters like them for the rigours of international cricket.