The ODI World Cup is 16 months away and India has begun its preparation. India will host Afghanistan in June soon after the IPL for a one-off test and three One-day series. The Squad for both leg of the series is announced and has some new names especially in the one-day side. Chandigarh is the host for the only test which proceeds from June 6.
The three ODI matches will start from Dharamshala on June 13 followed by Lucknow and Chennai on 17th and 20th June respectively. Prince Yadav, Gurnoor Brar, and Harsh Dubey have earned their maiden India call in the ODI team. Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya will play as per their fitness, and Hardik is currently undergoing a back spasm and is not featuring in the IPL for MI. Rohit missed a major chunk of the IPL playing only seven games on the other hand, Pandya last played for MI on 2nd May.
ODI WC 16 months Far; Want to give Exposure to new players: Ajit Agarkar
The BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar while speaking to the media said, “we still have 15-16 months left for the one-day world cup and in this period, we want to give enough chances to the new players.” Agarkar further said, “we want to maximise their potential and this is the time we give opportunities to the newcomers.”
Agarkar also spoke highly about Harsh Dubey and said that a player of his quality is rare and very essential to the team. “Harsh is someone who can offer a lot with bat and ball and has shown his skills in domestic cricket as well. He has the skills needed at this level so he can prove handy for us especially down the order,” said Agarkar.
Prince and Gurnoor’s efforts reap a reward. Agarkar says Both are hugely Talented –
For Prince Yadav and Gurnoor Brar this is hard-earned call as both have performed to their best of abilities in domestic cricket and IPL. Prince has had a dream IPL campaign with 16 wickets in 13 matches and is also the leading wicket-taker for LSG. While in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Prince shone with 18 wickets in eight matches at an average of 19.27. He was the highest wicket-taker for Delhi in VHT and the fifth highest in the tournament.
While Gurnoor Brar was not much behind Prince, as he has 11 wickets in eight matches to his name in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Gurnoor has the ability to generate good bounce due to his height and will play a key role along with Arshdeep and Prince.
Speaking highly of Prince Yadav, Agarkar said,
“Prince Yadav is another supremely talented bowler who has proven himself in the IPL as well as in domestic cricket, we know the skillset of both Jadeja and Axar Patel, so this is the time we try out different combinations and give new players a chance.”
Speaking ahead of Agarkar said,
“Prince has grown a lot as a bowler and has the necessary skills to succeed in white ball. It is a great opportunity with the ODI series because the way rules are structured, it eventually gives more freedom to the batsman so, you need guys who can succeed in the South African conditions,”
Agarkar has clearly stated the reason behind Prince and Gurnoor’s selection. H
“There were a couple of guys who were injured and were a part of the one-day squad before. Gurnoor has shown his skills with the ball, and his height is a massive advantage for him heading into the ODI series.” Agarkar further added, “we are going to try some new players keeping the World cup in mind so that it gives them ample time to sharpen their skills.”
Rohit Sharma & Virat Kohli back, but Rohit’s inclusion is doubtful
Fans are excited again to see their old heroes back in the field as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are set to play after three months. While Kohli is definitely playing, Rohit Sharma’s inclusion is based on his fitness. During the IPL, Rohit Sharma suffered from a hamstring injury, which forced him to sit out the majority of games, and even though he is fit again, he will undergo the necessary precautions to regain full fitness.
Virat has been in a golden run in the IPL scoring 542 runs in 13 matches, in fact he is the fourth-highest run-scorer for RCB, while Rohit is the third highest run-scorer with 268 runs. The duo will be hungry to replicate the form in the upcoming series.
Those who missed the bus for the upcoming ODI squad are Ayush Bodoni, Dhruv Jurel, Harshit Rana, Axar Patel, and Ravindra Jadeja. Meanwhile, Ishan Kishan returns to the ODI set-up after two years. Kishan last featured in an ODI during the World Cup, coincidentally against Afghanistan. Kishan also played in the VHT but could only play three games and scored one century.
ODI Squad: Shubman Gill(c), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (vc), Ishan Kishan, KL Rahul, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Harsh Dubey, Prince Yadav, Gurnoor Brar, Prasidh Krishna
Also Read: RR vs LSG: Mitchell Marsh’s Vintage 96 Ignites LSG Before Orange Cap Drama