Out Of The Spotlight: The Unfortunate Trio In India’s West Indies ODI Series
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With only a few months left until they host the 2023 World Cup, Team India is running out of time to perfect its preparations. It won’t be simple for the Men in Blue to end their trophy drought, since the ICC has released the calendar for the corresponding events.
KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, and Jasprit Bumrah are just a handful of the major players India will be absent for their forthcoming ODI match against the West Indies. These three players’ health is still a question, and depending on how healthy they are when the World Cup rolls around, they may either not have enough match practise or they may not even play.
NEWS – India’s squads for West Indies Tests and ODI series announced.
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 23, 2023
TEST Squad: Rohit Sharma (Capt), Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ajinkya Rahane (VC), KS Bharat (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), R Ashwin, R Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Mohd.… pic.twitter.com/w6IzLEhy63
In the near future, Rohit Sharma and company will need to find the ideal lineup, and to do that, they must support their players and maintain a consistent starting XI. In the Caribbean, the bench might therefore be used by a few well-known people.
Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shardul Thakur, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat, Mohammed Siraj, Umran Malik, and Mukesh Kumar make up India’s ODI squad for the West Indies series. Rohit Sharma is the captain.
The following three Indian players may not be given a single opportunity during the West Indies ODI series.
#3 Mukesh Kumar
Although there is no denying Mukesh Kumar’s red-ball prowess, he hasn’t done much to earn a spot in India’s limited-overs squads. With only 24 List A games under his belt, he has taken 26 wickets at an average of 37.46 and 5.1 at an economy rate. Why was the fast bowler chosen for the ODI series versus the Windies?
Even though Mukesh is a member of the team, he only has a remote chance of playing for his country abroad. The pecking order for pacers will likely place the 29-year-old below Jaydev Unadkat, Mohammed Siraj, Umran Malik, and Shardul Thakur.
Mukesh’s 50-over debut for the national team will probably have to wait a little longer.
#2 Yuzvendra Chahal
Yuzvendra Chahal played in two ODIs in 2023, taking three wickets and losing 101 runs in just 17.2 overs. In comparison, his spin partner Kuldeep Yadav has taken 15 victims in his eight encounters while maintaining an economy rate of 5.42.
Right now, it is obvious which spinner is the front-runner, and against the West Indies, this is not going to change significantly. India is also unable to field both wrist-spinners since doing so would leave them with very little batting cover in the lower order.
Chahal’s form has severely declined in recent years, and Kuldeep has performed leagues better. The seasoned leg-spinner might not play in the upcoming ODI series.
#1 Ruturaj Gaikwad
50-over cricket is undoubtedly the greatest format for Ruturaj Gaikwad, therefore it makes sense that he be on the team. The batter may have to wait for now, though, since the names that are currently in place are doing well.
The established opening duo is comprised of Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, with Virat Kohli being a certainty at No. 3. In order to fill the position of wicket-keeper, India will either play Ishan Kishan or Sanju Samson (or both), as Suryakumar Yadav has been given a long rope by the team management.
Gaikwad won’t have a spot in the middle order because the other batters will all be all-rounders. To add to his lone ODI appearance, the 26-year-old may have to wait longer.
