SL v IND: 5 surprising exclusions from the Indian ODI and T20I Squad

It’s evident that MSK Prasad is a man who believes in sending a team that has a good mixture of youth and experience. That has worked out well as of now, with India reaching the finals of the Champions Trophy and also registering a thumping victory at the Lankan Isles in the Test series. Now, the ODI squad too has been announced and there have been certain surprising exclusions in the side, which includes some big names in Indian cricket.

Selecting the Indian side has become one of the toughest tasks these days with youngsters and senior pros getting tons of runs in the domestic circuit. Under the leadership of MSK Prasad, the dynamics of selections has changed a little bit, with the veterans getting more preference than they got under Sandeep Patil’s panel.

Here is a list of five players, whose exclusion dropped a lot of jaws:

1. Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant made a resounding entry into the elite level with strong performances in the Under-19 World Cup. The 19-year-old since then, has never looked back and eventually, made his International debut inside one year after the U-19 World Cup. He didn’t get enough opportunities to showcase his skills, but the world is not oblivious to the talent he is.

His exclusion from the squad will be utterly disappointing and to add to it, there’s no valid reason behind it. He didn’t get a chance to score anything considerable and only place where he could contribute was by fielding well. All the teenager can hope now is to score big in the domestic circuit and re-enter the side with some authority.

2. Yuvraj Singh

This was definitely coming, but fans were hoping for this to not happen. Yuvraj Singh, once again, has been excluded from the Indian side after he had failed to score anything considerable in his last 5-6 games. After a stellar knock against Pakistan in the Champions Trophy opener, Yuvraj struggled to add runs on the board.

The sacking was pretty much on the cards with the fans urging to rope in Rishabh Pant instead of him and think of something that will benefit in the long run. The 35-year-old had the age factor against him as well, which in many ways shuts down the chances of him making a comeback in the coming months.

3. Suresh Raina

One of the most cunning cricketers around, Suresh Raina is a useful prospect, who contributes extensively through the willow, ball and on the field. Rated as India’s greatest fielder of the generation, Raina has been in and out of the side due to his inconsistency over a long period of time.

The 30-year-old from Uttar Pradesh has had issues with short balls and that has led to his downfall on most occasions. Fans were expecting him to make a comeback into the side in this Sri Lanka tour, but the wait has extended with the selectors showing the southpaw a cold shoulder.

4. Dinesh Karthik

Dinesh Karthik made a surprising return to the Indian squad for the Champions Trophy. Though he didn’t get enough opportunities to justify his selection, he did score few runs and it seemed highly likely that the selectors would prefer to keep him as a back up for the ODI series against the Islanders.

But he too has been dropped from the side and KL Rahul is the one who will be replacing him. Karthik has never been instrumental whenever he was given an opportunity and with the competition that exists right now, you gotta make the most of every opportunity. It’s highly unlikely to see him feature in the squad again, definitely not in the near future.

5. Amit Mishra

Amit Mishra is definitely the best leg spinner in the country, but still, he doesn’t have a place in the Indian side. With some bright prospects like Kuldeep Yadav spinning the web around oppositions, Mishra’s lack of consistency has cost him big time. The selection committee has been very harsh on the 34-year-old, but that’s part and parcel of the game.

He finished as the highest wicket taker and the man of the tournament in the ODI series against New Zealand last year. But when India played a limited overs game the next time, he was excluded from the side. Once again, the same thing has happened and he has to do something miraculous in the domestic circuit to catch the eyes of the selectors.