Empty World Cup slots in Team India and the battle among the contenders

With their two-match Test series against West Indies done and dusted, it’s time for Team India to look ahead and focus on the limited-overs format of the game, with ODIs in particular.

The much-awaited 2023 ODI World Cup is less than three months away, and the Men in Blue will get the opportunity to finetune preparations when they take on West Indies in a three-match ODI series, starting in Barbados on Thursday.

Selection dilemmas like who will be the first-choice wicketkeeper in Rishabh Pant’s absence, the leader of the pace attack among other questions remain, so let’s now get straight to the point and see where the team management needs to tweak and where not to tweak.

Related Articles

India produce all-round display to hand West Indies 365-run target on Day 4 of second Test

India vs West Indies: Hosts callup uncapped Kevin Sinclair for second Test

Suryakumar Yadav needs to stake his claim

At time when Shreyas Iyer continues his slow yet steady recovery from a back injury, it presents Suryakumar Yadav to stake his claim for the India ODI World Cup squad later this year. And for that, he must prove he is worthy of it with a strong showing against the West Indies.

For as much success SKY has had in T20Is for India, his numbers don’t read similar when it comes to the ODIs.

In the last 12 months, Suryakumar has played 11 ODIs, out of which he has managed just 101 runs at an average of 11.22. Now, that is pretty underwhelming for a middle-order batter if he is to boost his chances for the World Cup.

Of course, one cannot forget his three golden ducks in that series against Australia earlier this year, but the main question is, is Suryakumar ready to become India’s X-factor?

Probably what Suryakumar needs to do is have different mindsets in both the formats. The pacing of the game and the intensity of both ODIs and T20Is are quite different, but one thing that remains the same in both formats is that ability to bat freely.

Suryakumar Yadav being asked to bat in different positions also does not help his case. He has only batted once at number three, five times in number four and as many as 11 times at number five. He has also batted thrice while coming to bat at number six.

And the best where SKY has batted in ODIs is at number five, having scored 320 runs from 12 matches at an average of 35.55.

And that is exactly where Suryakumar could end up batting against thamson e Windies. With Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill all but likely to open the innings, and Kohli to play at number three, that leaves SKY to be batting in that middle-order. He should make the most of it. Who knows, this might be the series where Suryakumar Yadav rebrands himself as a potent finisher afterall.

Sanju Samson or Ishan Kishan?

The next biggest dilemma going into the West Indies ODIs is that of a tossup between Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan.

With KL Rahul on a road to recovery following a thigh injury and Rishabh Pant unlikely to make it in time for the World Cup, both Samson and Kishan were included in the ODI squad to face Windies.

Kishan is yet to play an ODI on Caribbean soil while Samson has played three of them, scoring only 72 with an average of 36.

Both Samson and Kishan are suited to bat in the middle-order in ODIs, but it’s Samson who comes out on top when it comes to statistics. According to ESPNCricinfo, Samson has scored 284 runs from 10 matches at an average of 71 while batting in positions between four and seven, while in the same criteria, Kishan only has 106 runs to his name from six matches.

However, there is a school of thought that Kishan does bring in an additional left-handed batting option in an Indian side that relies on right-handed batters. At least that’s what Dinesh Karthik believes.

“There is a chance that between Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson could be the choice for the second wicket-keeper. Ishan Kishan is slightly ahead because India lack left-handers. So, there is a great chance that he could be up there. He would also be the reserve backup opener,” Karthik told on Cricbuzz.

Samson will be the more desperate among the two, having been in and out of the team on a repeated basis, and will undoubtedly look to make his opportunities count.

Kishan has batted in the top-order (Top three) eight times, scoring 404 runs, but it could be a different ball game altogether should he be slotted in the middle-order against West Indies, which seems increasingly likely.

India’s pace-attack

India’s biggest boost in their pace attack leading upto the World Cup could be that of Jasprit Bumrah’s potential return. Bumrah has been reported to return for the limited-overs series against Ireland, which would help him gain some game time, but what if Bumrah fails to find his old rhythm or what if there’s another injury setback for him?

In Bumrah’s absence, it has largely been Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami leading India’s pace attack.

In the ODI series, however, it won’t be Shami who will leading the attack against Windies, but Siraj.

India’s ODI attack for the West Indies series is a mix of youth and experience. And someone in Mukesh Kumar who is yet to make his ODI debut.

While Mukesh did shine in the second Test against West Indies where he made his international debut, it remains to be seen how he fits into the larger scheme of things, meaning the World Cup.

India would need at least three seamers for the World Cup, along with Hardik Pandya as a fourth option. Currently, that could be Siraj, Shami (currently rested for West Indies ODIs) and Shardul Thakur for the World Cup, and should Bumrah be fit enough for the World Cup, he could take Thakur’s place instead.

In the spin department, it might be Kuldeep Yadav who gets the nod in the playing XI. Kuldeep has had more game time this year, taking 15 wickets from eight matches, while Chahal has played all but two ODIs, having taken three wickets.

Kuldeep has been the most effective as a wrist spinner, but what will be interesting is how Chahal approaches his game both physically and mentally, given his last ODI appearance came in January against New Zealand in Indore.

All in all, there is a lot at stake for India in the upcoming ODIs against West Indies, so neither the team management nor the players must take it likely. Especially after coming off a 1-0 Test series win.