After a dismal World Cup, it’s time for the Indian team to move on to the next major challenge, as the Men in Blue are scheduled to go to South Africa for an all-format tour beginning December 10.
The BCCI named the squads for the litmus test for the side to start over for the 2017 World Test Championship cycle, as well as to polish their T20 World Cup preparations.
Seasoned players such as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli asked for a pause from the white-ball portion of the trip (they will participate in the Test series). Therefore, they’re not involved in T20Is and ODIs. Meanwhile, the experiment of young talents in white-ball cricket persists.
Suryakumar Yadav gets the top spot for the T20I team, with KL Rahul taking the helm of the ODI squad. Both teams will jump into three T20Is and the same count of ODIs. A series of two Test matches wraps it up.
While the selection committee made some positive decisions, like as adding Rinku Singh and Rajat Patidar to the ODI squad, a few picks raised doubts and left many puzzled.
This article aims to explore a few choices that often leave people with more uncertainties rather than providing clarity.
5 illogical selection options for the India trip of South Africa
5. Ravindra Jadeja, the T20 vice-captain, was excluded from ODIs
Ravindra Jadeja, who strikes at just 123.56 while batting at 7 in T20s, a position where finishers typically hit into 160-170 SR, can not justify his spot in this format based on his batting ability.
With the ball, he has 26 wickets in 26 matches since 2022, but his economy of 8.86 with a dot ball rate of only 33.9% does not justify his promotion to vice leadership.
If selectors believe in his white-ball abilities in T20, it is surprising that he is not part of the ODI squad.
4. Axar Patel’s ommision in T20s
After returning from injury, Axar Patel seems to have rediscovered his rhythm with the ball in the current home series against Australia.
Apart from his 19th over in the third T20I at Guwahati, where he conceded 22 runs, he bowled remarkably effectively throughout the series.
Furthermore, his hitting adds incalculable worth to the team, and he may have been an ideal left-handed floater.
While he has been omitted from India’s T20I squad, Axar has been given ODI duty.
3. Four spinners for South Africa tour
India’s choice to have four spinners in the ODI team for a series in South Africa does not appear to be viable.
With small boundaries and bouncy pitches assisting pacers, spinners’ position in South Africa is limited.
When India visited South Africa in 2018, the spin combo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav took 30+ wickets.
However, new evidence suggests that spinners in South Africa are ineffective, and hence management may have chosen fewer spinners.
2. The curious case of Prasidh Krishna
Prasidh Krishna, who was considered for the 2023 ODI World Cup as a substitute for the injured Hardik Pandya, was not picked to the ODI team.
Prasidh Krishna gathered up wickets but failed to post strong stats in his recent appearances against Australia.
While his figures aren’t very impressive, picking up four wickets at an economy of 13.25, these are still T20I figures.
The selectors omitted him from the One-Day Internationals, when he was a contender during the World Cup.
1. Wrong musical chairs game with Sanju Samson
The inclusion of Sanju Samson in the Indian ODI squad was the highlight of this selection.
However, the wicketkeeper-batter’s exclusion from the T20Is raised many questions. Sanju, a superb pace hitter and a solid spin batter, can bat anywhere in the order. Furthermore, considering his wicketkeeping ability, he becomes an excellent candidate for India selection.
So, a player of this caliber not being included in the T20I squads, especially with the World Cup approaching, appears to be a problematic move.