India’s selectors don’t have recent ODI form to go on when they pick the squads for the England series and Champions Trophy
Nagraj Gollapudi09-Jan-20254:39
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India have played only six ODIs since the 2023 World Cup – and just three in 2024 – so the selectors don’t have any recent international form to guide them when they pick the squads for the upcoming bilateral ODIs against England and the Champions Trophy in February.In those six games, India gave exposure to several players earmarked as contenders for the 2027 ODI World Cup. With the T20 set-up already revamped and the Test side facing a period of transition, there are questions around the make-up of the ODI squad too, both in terms of form and fitness of certain players.Should Yashasvi Jaiswal open in ODIs too?It might feel like Yashasvi Jaiswal is a regular in all formats for India but he hasn’t been selected in an ODI squad yet. Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill are the incumbent openers and could remain so.They formed a successful partnership in the 2023 ODI World Cup once Gill recovered from dengue and displaced Ishan Kishan at the top, but both were rested from India’s subsequent ODIs in South Africa in December that year. Gill then lost his place to Jaiswal in the T20I squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup, and made scores of 16, 35 and 6 in the 2-0 defeat in the ODI series in Sri Lanka last August. While he scored a Test century against Bangladesh in the home series in September, he failed to convert starts in the recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy, where he was dropped for the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne.With Rohit set to lead the ODI squad and open the innings, and Virat Kohli at No. 3, Jaiswal could be an option if India want to bring a left-hand batter into the top order. He was India’s leading run-scorer in the Test series in Australia and his domestic 50-over numbers are impressive: 1511 runs at an average of 54 and strike rate of 86.19 with five centuries and seven fifties in 32 innings.The other batters who opened for India in South Africa after the 2023 ODI World Cup are Ruturaj Gaikwad, B Sai Sudarshan and Rajat Patidar.Ravindra Jadeja hasn’t played ODI cricket since the World Cup final in November 2023•Associated PressDoes Ravindra Jadeja still make the cut?Jadeja hasn’t played an ODI since the 2023 World Cup, where he formed the middle order with Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, and Suryakumar Yadav once Hardik Pandya was injured.In contrast to the selection for the ODIs in South Africa under the previous coaching regime, when specialists like Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma and Rinku Singh played in the middle-order, Gambhir and selectors were keen to have more bowling options and batting depth in Sri Lanka. The competition for allrounder spots has now increased with Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar and Riyan Parag all getting a go while Jadeja and Suryakumar missed the series in South Africa and Sri Lanka.Hardik is expected to return, having proved his fitness while playing domestic 20 and 50-over games for Baroda this season, and Parag is expected to be fit as well after recovering from a shoulder injury, though his selection is not certain. Nitish Kumar Reddy, who was injured around the Sri Lanka ODIs last year, is also a contender.Iyer and Rahul, who played in Sri Lanka, are expected to retain their spots but the case for Jadeja and Suryakumar is not as clear-cut.Rishabh Pant or Sanju Samson for India in ODIs?•BCCI/IPLWho’s the second wicketkeeper in the squad?Rahul was India’s first-choice wicketkeeper in the 2023 ODI World Cup and the bilateral series in South Africa and Sri Lanka. He is likely to retain that position. Sanju Samson was the back-up in South Africa, but Rishabh Pant was preferred over him in Sri Lanka once he made his comeback from injuries suffered in a car crash and was first choice in India’s T20 World Cup winning squad in 2024.Samson’s omission from the ODI squad in Sri Lanka came under scrutiny because he had scored a hundred in India’s previous ODI in South Africa, where he played as a specialist batter at No. 3. Pant made 6 while batting at No. 4 in his only ODI in Sri Lanka.Bumrah and Shami’s fitness in focusJasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami were crucial to India’s unbeaten run to the 2023 ODI World Cup final, which was the last international Shami played before undergoing ankle surgery in February 2024. While he had successfully recovered from that injury, Shami’s India comeback has been delayed due to issues with his right knee while playing domestic cricket for Bengal this season. If he comes through the Vijay Hazare Trophy playoffs without a problem, he is a strong contender for the ODI squad.Bumrah’s status remains uncertain with the BCCI yet to disclose the nature of the injury that prevented him from bowling in Australia’s second innings of the fifth Test in Sydney. If Bumrah is not fit, Shami and Mohammed Siraj are likely to lead the attack along with Hardik. India would still want one if not two more seamers in the squad as back-ups.They tried several quicks in the ODI series in South Africa and Sri Lanka and one stood out from the pack. Left-arm quick Arshdeep Singh was the Player of the Series in South Africa, with ten wickets in three games including hauls of five and four wickets. He also took the new ball in two ODIs in Sri Lanka. India’s other options are Mukesh Kumar, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana and Reddy – the last two considered as allrounders. Both Nitish and Rana were part of the Test squad in Australia, where Nitish played all five matches and even scored a maiden century.While it was a bold move to pick Nitish and Rana in the Test squad, the plan was to provide them with exposure and facilitate their development as seam-bowling allrounders, a skillset India struggles with. While Nitish flourished as a batter in Australia, his bowling was ineffective and he was unable to fulfil the role of an allrounder.Who are the spinners?There are doubts over whether left-arm wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav will be able to prove his match fitness in time; he is presently undergoing rehab after a hernia surgery and hasn’t played international or domestic cricket since October last year. If Kuldeep isn’t fit, India’s leading spin options are all allrounders: Jadeja, Axar and Sundar.Varun Chakravarthy could also be a left-field wristspin option. He is among the leading wicket-takers in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, having played a key role in Tamil Nadu making the play-offs, and was India’s highest wicket-taker in the T20I series in South Africa in November last year.
