From MS Dhoni being rested to the expulsion of Kuldeep Yadav without getting a game, India’s squad for the first three One-Day Internationals (ODIs) throw up some surprising decisions. Shiamak Unwalla looks at a few interesting points from the squad.
Amid the news of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) initiating legal action against West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and suspending bilateral cricketing ties between the two nations, emerged the news of India’s squad for the first three ODIs against Sri Lanka.
MS Dhoni rested: The Indian captain is one of the most overworked cricketers in the world, and could do with a bit of rest and relaxation ahead of the exhausting, crucial season that will start with India’s tour of Australia, and continue till the ICC World Cup 2015 and the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2015.
Virat Kohli as captain: There was never any doubt in Dhoni’s absence, it would fall to Virat Kohli —now a veteran of six years — to lead the side. Placing the burden of leadership on his shoulders so soon after he has recovered from an uncharacteristic bout of poor form shows that the selectors have enough faith in his abilities as both a batsman and a captain, which is heartening to see.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar rested and Varun Aaron included: The Indian selectors continue to experiment with their fast bowling combination. In addition to Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami — who are certainties at this point barring injury — India will require at least two, or maybe three, more pacers in their final squad for the ICC World Cup 2015. Bhuvneshwar has been rested as well, and will look to prepare himself for another long season ahead of him.
India would need to pick from Umesh Yadav, Mohit Sharma, Ishant Sharma, Dhawal Kulkarni, or Varun Aaron for the series in Australia — and the World Cup after that — and will get to experiment amongst them this time around. It would perhaps be prudent to keep Shami as one fast bowler, and rotate between the other three seamers (Ishant, Umesh and Aaron) in the squad.
Akshar Patel’s selection ahead of Kuldeep Yadav: India have perhaps more spinners than they need. With Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja all but assured of spots, the fact that Amit Mishra, Akshar Patel, Karn Sharma, and Kuldeep Yadav are all in the race for the third spinner’s spot suggests that India are quite keen on taking a third option to Australia.
Karn and Kuldeep were both selected in the Indian squad — one against England and the other against West Indies — without a game, while Akshar was lucky to be included in the fourth ODI against West Indies. Mishra has got more opportunities than any other fringe spinner, and the fact that he has not been able to seal the spot suggests that he could be replaced by one of the younger Turks. One feels that Akshar’s all-round abilities (he is a terrific fielder and a handy batsman) gives him a distinct advantage over the others.
India’s squad for first three ODIs: Virat Kohli(c), Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Wriddhiman Saha(wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Amit Mishra, Murali Vijay, Varun Aaron, Akshar Patel.
(Shiamak Unwalla, a reporter with CricketCountry, is a self-confessed Sci-Fi geek and Cricket fanatic. You can follow him on Twitter @ShiamakUnwalla)
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