3 areas where India need to improve in ODIs

3. The all-rounder gap

India's all-rounder options in ODIs remain a concern. Hardik Pandya is the team's most crucial all-rounder, batting in the death overs and contributing across 10 overs with the ball, but ongoing fitness concerns mean his availability cannot always be guaranteed. Nitish Kumar Reddy has been considered a potential option in this role but is currently out of form, while Shivam Dube's place in the ODI side is also in doubt. Harshit Rana was India's leading wicket-taker with 6 wickets in the New Zealand ODI series in January 2026, but he is primarily a pace bowler and not a recognised batting all-rounder.

Axar Patel has 71 ODIs to his name, with 858 runs and 75 wickets, and features in the top 10 of the ICC ODI all-rounder rankings as of July 2026, but no Indian all-rounder appears in the top five of those rankings, with Azmatullah Omarzai of Afghanistan ranked number one. With the 2027 World Cup approaching, India need a settled all-rounder solution soon.