WI vs IND: Five Indian players who should have been selected for ODI series

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selection committee has announced India’s squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against West Indies. Veteran opener Shikhar Dhawan has been named as captain and Ravindra Jadeja as his deputy to lead the 16-man squad. Ruturaj Gaikwad and fast bowler Arshdeep Singh have been included in the squad and are in contention to make their ODI debut. Sanju Samson and Shubman Gill also return to the ODI setup after a year gap.

The selection committee has also decided to rest a few senior key players for this series. Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Jasprit Bumrah are missing the squad again. Star wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant has been rested as he was involved in all five matches against South Africa series and later featured in the fifth rescheduled Test match against England. Hardik Pandya, who recently made a successful comeback with a T20I squad, is also missing the list.

India ODI Squad: Shikhar Dhawan (C), Ravindra Jadeja (VC), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Deepak Hooda, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Shardul Thakur, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Avesh Khan, Prasidh Krishna, Mohd Siraj, Arshdeep Singh.

#TeamIndia ODI squad:
Shikhar Dhawan (C), Ravindra Jadeja (VC), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Deepak Hooda, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Shardul Thakur, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Avesh Khan, Prasidh Krishna, Mohd Siraj, Arshdeep Singh

— BCCI (@BCCI) July 6, 2022

Meanwhile, India are scheduled to play three ODI matches in England before meeting West Indies. All senior key players are included in the squad after getting a much-needed rest from the South Africa series last month. But now resting them again for West Indies series didn’t go down well with netizens. Fans and cricket experts are already raising a big question, ‘why does BCCI keep excluding key players again and again for the sake of a rest?’

Here is the list of five Indian players who should have been in the squad for the West Indies tour:

1. Virat Kohli

The star Indian batter was rested for the five-match T20I series against South Africa last month. He also missed the two-match T20I series against Ireland later as he was included in the red-ball team for the rescheduled fifth Test match against England. Kohli is included in both T20I and ODI squads to face England this month. But there is a big gap of five days before the start of the West Indies tour on the 22nd of July.

The former captain has played just nine ODI matches since the start of 2021 and has been regularly rested for T20I assignments lately. He was also rested for the T20I series against Sri Lanka in February 2021. Kohli should be playing more white-ball cricket as he needs to gain his form back with the T20 World Cup 2022 being just four months away.

India have selected Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, and Samson, who all can fill in number three position. All these players are considered future of India’s batting line-up and hence, Kohli’s regular omission from the ODI squad can raise questions over his position in the first-choice line-up.

2. Rohit Sharma

The Indian captain is another surprise exclusion from the list as he hasn’t played any cricket so far since the conclusion of the Indian Premier League 2022. He was rested for South Africa series after a two-month-long IPL season. Rohit missed the rescheduled fifth Test match against England as he tested positive for the Covid-19 virus just a day before the clash.

The star opener is now available for all six white-ball matches in England. Rohit is likely to face fatigue issues after such a long gap from international cricket. The veteran will definitely get into the groove if he plays all six matches against England but resting him again didn’t impress many.

Team India would definitely be aiming to do well in the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australis this October and ODI World Cup in India next year. Rohit will be leading the Men in Blue on both occasions but he needs to be around the squad more to form a core group of players.

3. Jasprit Bumrah

The 28-year-old pacer is in his prime and deserves to play every international match available. Similar to Kohli, he also played the recently lost Test match against England. He was handed the captaincy role for the Edgbaston Test where he took five wickets and impressed with his batting skills as well.

Meanwhile, the Indian management has recently made many changes to their pace bowling attack. Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, Prasidh Krishna, and Mohammed Siraj are leading the pace attack for the ODI series against West Indies. They all lack the experience that is needed in overseas matches with Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami still not considered for ODI setup.

Bumrah is currently the highest-ranked Indian bowler on the ICC ODI chart and needs to be more involved. He is at the peak of his career and regular cricket shouldn’t affect his fitness. India need their best players to play more cricket regularly ahead of the big tournaments.

4. Mohammed Shami

The experienced right-arm pacer has been named in the ODI squad to face England next week. He is making a white-ball cricket comeback after the T20 World Cup in 2021 but once again is dropped for the next series without any convincing reason. Notably, he is also not a part of the T20I setup to face England.

The 31-year-old right-arm pacer enjoyed a great IPL 2022 season where he took 20 wickets for champions Gujarat Titans. Shami’s numbers in ODI cricket are also very impressive but he has played only 79 matches so far. It is hard to answer why he is not selected for the West Indies ODI series as he will be playing only three matches on England tour.

Mohammed Shami’s numbers in white-ball cricket are impressive but the Indian management is failing to utilize it on the international level. India are developing a habit of dropping key players against the weaker teams lately as both Shami and Bumrah missed India’s last ODI series against West Indies at home earlier this year.

5. Hardik Pandya

The Indian all-rounder made a successful comeback with a bat on his return to the Indian national squad. He played the finisher’s role in last month’s five-match T20I series against South Africa. He was appointed as a captain for the two T20Is against Ireland and is part of the upcoming ODI and T20I series against England. But once again he is dropped for the next series for the sake of rest. Hardik is also in his prime and needs to be played more cricket to stay fit and avoid any fatigue.

India have Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, and Shardul Thakur in their all-rounders’ pool for the West Indies tour. But both Thakur and Axar have struggled recently with both bat and bowl in international fixtures and Jadeja last played ODI cricket in December 2020.

Hardik seems to have well recovered from his long-term back injury and his performances with a bat have vastly improved. He struggled to make an impact with his bowling against South Africa and Ireland but having a sixth bowling option in the line-up is always a bonus.