ZIM vs IND: 3 unlucky Indian players to miss out from the ODI squad

India will be touring Zimbabwe for three One Day Internationals next month. The games will be played on August 18th, 20th, and, 22nd at the Harare Sports Club. Shikhar Dhawan would be leading the Men in Blue, with Rohit Sharma being rested for this series as a part of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)’s workload management. Apart from Rohit, wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, Virat Kohli and pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah have also been rested for this series.

While some of the consistent performers, as well as emerging talents, have got yet another opportunity to prove their mettle in the absence of key players, there have been some names to have missed out on their flight to Zimbabwe in a rather unfortunate manner. Luck did not smile at a few players despite performing consistently, while one of them did not get ample opportunities despite starting his international career on a high note.

Without further ado, here’s a look at three of those names.

3. Arshdeep Singh

Arshdeep Singh earned a well-deserved India call-up riding on his consistent performances in the last two editions of the IPL, where he was phenomenal in the death overs. Meanwhile, Arshdeep is also known for his ability to bowl well-disguised yorkers and maintain a good economy rate as well.

While Arshdeep was included in the Indian squad for the home T20I series against South Africa followed by an away series against Ireland, he had to warm the bench but made the most of his opportunities when he was handed over his maiden India cap during the first T20I against England at Southampton earlier this month where he finished with impressive figures of 2/18 from his 3.3 overs at an economy of 5.1 including a maiden.

However, the promising pacer was not given chances on a consistent basis thereafter and was also benched in the just-concluded three ODI series against the West Indies. He was finally given a chance in the first T20I where he finished with figures of 2/24. Now, Arshdeep Singh does not find a mention in the Indian squad for the Zimbabwe ODI series.

2. Ravi Bishnoi

Despite being in the Indian team management’s T20I setup for almost the most part of this year, Ravi Bishnoi has not been included in the Indian squad for the next month’s One Day International series against Zimbabwe. Despite being one of the go-to spinners during the home matches, Bishnoi has not been given chances in away T20Is during the England tour.

The young leggie had a good outing in IPL 2022, where he finished with 13 scalps from 14 matches at an economy of 8.44, but despite that, he has not been getting many chances. Finally, after waiting patiently, the emerging spinner got a chance to feature in India’s playing XI during the first T20I against the Windies, where he impressed with figures of 2/26.

While Ravi Bishnoi is yet to make a mark in One Day Internationals for India, the upcoming Zimbabwe series was a perfect opportunity for him to make his debut in the 50-overs format, which unfortunately did not happen, and the youngster would now have to wait another day to do so.

1. Prithvi Shaw

This indeed comes as a shocker, but Prithvi Shaw, who succeeded in making his bat do the talking in the last few months, has also not managed to find a place in the Indian squad for the three ODIs against Zimbabwe next month. Shaw has not been a part of the Indian team management or selectors’ scheme of things since the conclusion of the Sri Lanka limited-overs series in July last year.

The 2018 U19 World Cup-winning captain scored 283 runs for the Delhi Capitals in IPL 2022 and was also forced to miss a few games, having been hospitalized due to typhoid. He also enjoyed a good run in this year’s Ranji Trophy, having amassed 355 runs from six matches and also led Mumbai to the finals where they went down to Madhya Pradesh.

Despite showcasing impressive performances on the 22 yards, he has once again been overlooked by the selectors and Prithvi Shaw could have bolstered India’s top-order in the Zimbabwe ODI series along with the likes of Shubman Gill and Ruturaj Gaikwad.