India has been in enough mucky mud for the past month. They lost the Champions Trophy against Pakistan – makes it a tad worse – they are coachless and the media is firing against Virat Kohli.
All this external nonsense has almost overshadowed their clinical performances over the last few months. The 2019 World Cup is a couple of years away and they need a plan.
A couple of years may seem like a century away, but time and tide wait for no man. Between now and then, India has another 53 ODI’s to work out a squad. Fifty-three! That’s more than what I got on my Grade 10 math test.
Openers
Openers have been India’s strength, the pillars that 300+ scores are built upon. Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma already displayed their class in the Champions Trophy, while Ajinkya Rahane has already announced his presence with a brilliant hundred against the West Indies. The recovering K.L. Rahul also makes a serious contender.
No. 3
Virat Kohli’s spot in unchallengeable at this position. A highly consistent, elegant and aggressive player, he is the master of the chase and averages over 50 in the format. The way he’s been pumping out runs, he seems absolutely unstoppable.
The Middle Order
This is probably the biggest concern for India.
M.S. Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh are both 35 and have no intentions to retire – they are fit and firing. However, two years is a long time, and with old age comes fitness issues and slumps in form. Should India look to invest in young experience, these two might have to sit out.
If these two are to continue playing and suddenly decide it’s time to go, there is no time to groom the youngsters. Keeping this in mind, India has to begin experimenting with young players like Rishabh Pant, Manish Pandey, Rahul Tripathi, Shreyas Iyer.
Pant would be the first choice, as he can take over the glove work from Dhoni. Kedar Jadhav’s full batting abilities may be exploited by promoting him up the batting order.
The Finisher
India has found a gem of an all-rounder in the form of Hardik Pandya. A big hitter, who can play the long innings and have an impact with the ball. His place in the team cannot be questioned.
The Spinners
Who would have thought that India’s biggest strength in Tests could turn into its biggest weakness in ODI’s?
Ravi Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, the ‘Spin Twins’, were very flat in the Champions Trophy. India needs a wrist spinner who can turn the ball on the English batting beauties – at least that’s how they are these days.
India has already invested in Kuldeep Yadav in the recent West Indies tour, however, they might need another offie who can take wickets. The IPL has unearthed Pawan Negi, a slow left-arm bowler, with his 16 wickets in the most recent IPL coming in at an impeccable economy of 6.12.
If I were the selector, I might even leave out Ashwin and Jadeja entirely from the side. Finger spinners are a declining force in recent days.
The Pace Unit
Who would have thought that India’s biggest weakness would become its biggest strength?
‘The Strangler’ Bhuvneshwar Kumar, ‘The Yorker Specialist’ Jasprit Bumrah and the ‘Slidey Action’ Umesh Yadav make up a formidable bowling unit. However, Yadav is the weakest link and tends to go for runs on his bad days. Another option might be IPL superstar Jaydev Unadkat.
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