Indian Test squad for the Australia tour 2014-15: Where are they now?

It was a torrid time for Indian cricket back in August 2014 as they just landed back home after losing the 5-match Test series 3-1 to England. With the highly anticipated Australia tour on the line, Ravi Shastri was appointed as the team director and although India lost the four-match series 2-0, they showed great determination and character in all the games.

The series opener in Adelaide, which was clouded heavily with the tragic passing of Phillip Hughes, was expected to continue in a sombre environment, but two immortal knocks from Virat Kohli almost helped India clinch one of its greatest Test victories of all time.

Things have changed dramatically ever since and there have been a lot of developments in Indian cricket. Whilst a lot of cricketers have progressed a lot in these few years, a few have gone invisible. Let’s take a glance at all the of cricketers who were a part of the Test squad back then and how they have fared in these four years.

1. Shikhar Dhawan

That series was one of the toughest in Shikhar Dhawan‘s Test career in many ways. His performance in the first two Tests was so poor that it eventually led to his axing. KL Rahul accompanied Murali Vijay in the final Test in Sydney. He registered 167 runs in six innings he played. Apart from the one score of 81, he looked lacklustre all the way. Currently, he is out of the Test setup and will be concentrating on the ODI series.

2. Murali Vijay

He provided good support to Virat Kohli in the first Test but failed to replicate it in the other games. Nevertheless, Vijay’s assured presence was very helpful for other batters to express themselves with freedom. He scored an impressive 482 runs last time which includes five fifty-plus scores. After getting dropped from the Test series against Windies, Murali Vijay is back in the squad again and is expected to open the batting alongside Prithvi Shaw.

3. KL Rahul

The Karnataka man made his International debut in this series on boxing day at the MCG. Rahul’s dream debut didn’t turn out to be great, but he scored his first Test century at the SCG in the final Test. Rahul currently finds himself as a slightly peripheral member of the side in all formats as his place in the XI is not exactly assured. He did take giant strides on occasions but has stuttered a lot as well.

4. Cheteshwar Pujara

Another cricketer who provides a calm and assured presence to the side, Cheteshwar Pujara did struggle with some form related issues in between, but he always managed to bounce back. With just 201 runs in the previous outing, Pujara will be keen to put up a much better and resilient show. Not a lot has changed for him over the course of time and he recently scored a valiant hundred in England, which should elevate his confidence to do well Down Under.

5. Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli well and truly arrived at the Test level with this series back in 2014. His twin hundreds in Adelaide followed by tons in Melbourne and Sydney escalated his status and currently, he’s being hailed as an all-time great in every format.

Kohli also took over the reins in Tests with this series from MS Dhoni and now he steps his foot on Australian soil after four years as the captain across all formats. His form in limited-overs cricket has been outstanding and it will be interesting to see how he can better his exhilarating 692-run tally from the previous visit.

6. Ajinkya Rahane

Ajinkya Rahane was an integral member of the side in both ODIs and Tests back then, but currently he finds himself as an outcast in the shorter versions. His performances in red ball cricket has not been tremendous in recent years and finds his position in serious threat with the likes of Hanuma Vihari and Rohit Sharma knocking the doors hard.

Rahane scored 399 runs in four Tests in his previous visit Down Under which includes a famous hundred at the MCG. But he needs to buck up big time to get back his affirmative position in the side.

7. Rohit Sharma

Over the period, Rohit Sharma has escalated his status rapidly as a limited overs cricketer. But in Tests, there has utterly been no progress. His image in this format still remains the same and was tarnished slightly when he was dropped for the England tour. With 173 runs in his previous outing, he barely had an impact coming in at number five and six. His chances of starting in the playing XI are grim but if he gets a go, he will be desperate to nullify all the criticism with a few good knocks.

8. Wriddhiman Saha

While setting out for the tour little did Wriddhiman Saha know he was on his way to becoming India’s full-time wicketkeeper for the next two or three years. He played two Tests in that series and could only muster 73 runs. Injuries sabotaged his growth but Saha has not been bad during this time period. With the emergence of Rishabh Pant, Saha finds himself in a very bad position and he’s not expected to play professional cricket for another few months.

9. MS Dhoni

MS Dhoni gave a heart-attack to the cricketing world by announcing his retirement from the longest format after the third Test. He participated only in the second and third Test and could score just 68 runs. He stepped down from captaining the side in ODIs and T20Is in 2017 and currently is a part of the ODI setup only for this tour. That Australian tour was the beginning of the end and now, he clearly is at the fag end of his career.

10. Suresh Raina

One of the brightest sparks of Indian cricket, Suresh Raina is loved and adored by millions, but he fails to find a place in the Indian side in any format as it stands. Raina took part only in the fourth Test last time and registered a pair of ducks. The 32-year-old is currently battling for a place in the World Cup squad and his only hope as it stands is a good performance in the Ranji Trophy for Uttar Pradesh.

11. Axar Patel

Axar Patel had just burst into the scene back then and was expected to do well in the series. He was roped into the squad from the third Test but failed to get a game. With the rapid growth of all-rounders like Krunal Pandya and Hardik Pandya, he currently finds no place in the side and also is out of contention for a spot in the World cup squad.

12. Ravichandran Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin’s career took interesting turns in these few years and he currently is a Test specialist who finds no place in the limited-overs team. With 12 wickets in 3 Tests, he didn’t have a torrid time Down Under but a lot more is expected from him. Ashwin failed to make his mark in the ODIs and T20Is in this time period and the likes of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal managed to replace him completely. His prowess as a Test match bowler never dipped and is continuing to dominate. He will once again lead the Indian spin attack in Australia.

 13. Karn Sharma

After making his debut in Adelaide, Karn Sharma made very few International appearances. His performances in the IPL too weren’t impressive but he had a rejuvenating experience in the 2018 edition playing for the Chennai Super Kings. He currently is representing Andhra in the Ranji Trophy.

14. Dhawal Kulkarni

Dhawal Kulkarni was added in the squad after the first Test and didn’t get to make an appearance. He spent all his time warming the bench and after that, he had some miserable outings in the few games he played for India in the coloured jersey. He has always been a fighter and is striving hard in the Ranji Trophy for Mumbai to get back in contention for any of the formats.

15. Mohammed Shami

After being in the nucleus of some unenviable controversies, Mohammed Shami now finds his career in a precarious position. He thoroughly enjoyed his time in Australia last time, picking up 15 wickets, second only to Nathan Lyon in the wickets tally. Currently, he is not featuring regularly in the ODIs and T20s, which puts his World Cup spot in jeopardy. He will be there fighting it out in the Test series, but there is a good chance that he might not get to start.

16. Ishant Sharma

Just like Ashwin, Ishant Sharma has been focusing solely on Test cricket and is nearing the 100 Tests mark. He returned with just nine wickets in 2014-15 and looked pretty ineffective. His recent performances away from India have been impressive and he has the trust of Kohli and Shastri. Ishant is a country mile away from being in contention for the limited-overs setup, but he seems pretty happy with what he’s doing.

17. Umesh Yadav

One of the cricketers who took giant strides in the Kohli-Shastri era, Umesh Yadav is a much better cricketer than what he was all those years back. He enjoyed bowling on the Australian tracks and managed to scamper 11 wickets in the previous outing. With form in his favaor, he seems more confident and is bowling at a good pace. He is coming off a 10-wicket haul into this Test series, which should be a great confidence booster for him.

18. Varun Aaron

Once upon a time, Varun Aaron was considered the future of Indian fast bowling and he had some great moments in the 2014/15 Tests against the Aussies. He had a memorable duel against David Warner in the Adelaide Test, but the latter won that feud. But his career fell apart due to injuries and inconsistency, eventually relegating him completely to the first-class level. He is fighting hard to win an IPL contract through his performances for Jharkhand in the ongoing Ranji Trophy.

19. Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Bhuvneshwar Kumar earned a lot of respect in these few years with consistent performances across all formats. He contributes some or the other way in a game, let that be with the bat or ball. Despite playing just one Test in his previous visit, he has grown in stature over the years and currently is a three-format player with an A+ BCCI contract. Life has been thoroughly good for him and he will be keen to put in a better performance in the land of Kangaroos.

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