India ready to script Kohli-Saha saga

A new Test captain, who makes it difficult to decide whether his pull shot or his press conferences are stronger. A new BCCI regime, systematically dulling the influence of its predecessor. Four wise men trooping back into service to help connect the present to the future. And a new season that is almost like a video game, demanding the team to level up with every tour and winding up with a World T20. There is a lot afoot in Indian cricket. The game itself will join in tomorrow.

When 0-8 happened in 2011-12, there were no immediate consequences. MS Dhoni and Duncan Fletcher held on. The N Srinivasan administration bided their time as well. Now, Dalmiya and Thakur are making a lot of moves, Dhoni has retired from Tests, Virat Kohli has stepped in as the leader, and Wriddhiman Saha has taken up the gloves.

Test cricket has changed as well. The people's cry for an attacking brand of play is louder. The onus on the captain to provide as much is starker. Kohli appears to be in tune with that. He wants India to dominate the world.

"Over the years I have matured in my mind," he said. "The people around me in BCCI and my team-mates thought that I was the right guy for the job. I am pretty grateful for that. I have some vision in my mind which I have discussed with the team. We are all on the same page. It is pretty exciting for me to start as full-time Test captain and hopefully it is a positive start."

The Bangladesh tour is a good curtain raiser. The hosts have topped a World Cup quarter-final appearance with a whitewash of Pakistan in three ODIs, and a world record second-innings opening partnership in Tests. They have reason to be confident and might even get a kick out of forcing Kohli into second thoughts. How would he deal with the ebb and flow of a Test? Does he let it drift? Does he pull back too soon? Can he sustain pressure on the opposition? Can he then find a way to create opportunities?

The Bangladesh batsmen have showed an improved capacity for occupying the crease. Last month, Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes chomped off a 296-run deficit with a 312-run partnership for the first wicket. Mominul Haque, Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim form a rather hardy batting line-up, while the emergence of Soumya Sarkar lends lower-order firepower.

So India's bowlers need to find some threat. Varun Aaron and Umesh Yadav have impressed no less a cricket mind than Glenn McGrath. A lot of that perhaps has to do with the potential they represent - both young and eager to bowl quick. A phalanx of left-handers for Bangladesh also persuaded the selectors to recall Harbhajan Singh. He might well end a two-year hiatus from Test cricket in Fatullah and, in between helping Kohli push for a win, initiate a challenge for R Ashwin's role as the team's lead offspinner.

Lord's has been India's only victory over the last 23 overseas Tests. There will be great expectation to ensure the tally is upped to two, and then more when they visit Sri Lanka, before the attention turns to safeguarding home dominance, against South Africa.

Saha could only dream of a calendar as full as that until now. He has played four Tests in five years despite the reputation of being the best wicketkeeper in India.

Captains and wicketkeepers share close working relationships. From ascertaining if the ball is swinging, to helping out with DRS calls, to marking fielding positions and working out a batsman's inadequacies, the vantage point from behind the stumps can be rather useful. Saha has had to wait a long time to enjoy the view. Now, with Dhoni sticking to limited-overs cricket, his Test career restarts at 30.

"I think now is the time for Saha," Kohli said. "He is a super fit guy. His keeping skills and reach are unbelievable. He is a gutsy batsman, confident, technique very good. He has everything to become a very good Test player for India. For next five to six years I can assure you will be exciting time for him. I am happy for him that he got this regular chance now."

Saha's batting has the skill to last, as a first-class best of 178 not out suggests. He can even up his tempo, as Australia found out for the briefest of moments in Adelaide. India were 87 short of an improbable 364 target when he strode out to bat, tonked a six and a four off Nathan Lyon to tease the visitors' hopes. He was dismissed the next ball, but that innings is a neat little example of Saha's utility and Kohli's methods. Later, the India captain would say he wouldn't have settled for a draw and neither did he want his team to.

One of MS Dhoni's final addresses to the team was that he thought he was standing with the players who would form India's core for a better part of the next decade. It starts now.