The Indian cricket team is scheduled to tour Sri Lanka for a series of 3 T20Is and 3 ODIs. The series will begin on the 27th. Subsequently, the Indian team for this series was announced last Thursday night.
According to this, Suryakumar Yadav has been appointed as the captain of the Indian T20 team and Rohit Sharma as the captain of the ODI team. Subman Gill has been appointed as the vice-captain for the T20 and ODI teams. They will be led by new head coach Gautam Gambhir.
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While Hardik Pandya was expected to be appointed as the captain of the Indian T20 team, Suryakumar Yadav has been announced as the captain of the T20 team. The Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee that picked him is still adding and dropping players. It shows the way the team is going to travel in the next three years.
No Suriyakumar and Hardik in ODIs
Suryakumar Yadav was the only player who struggled to make an impact in last year's 50-over World Cup on Indian soil. His average of 25.76 in 37 matches so far is worrying. And with only 6 ODIs remaining before the Champions Trophy hosted by Pakistan, the selectors have dropped him from the squad and are now looking for other options. The side has turned its attention to bowlers in particular. This will help the team get a longer batting line-up.
Hardik Pandya is another one who has been dropped from the ODI team like Suryakumar. India don't have another ready-made seam bowling all-rounder to replace him. But the immediate focus – the Champions Trophy – is on the subcontinent, where they see Axar Patel and Washington Sundar fit in the bowling all-rounder role. . However, it has also been reported that Nitish Reddy, who is impressed in the IPL, is seen as a seam-bowling all-rounder. So, it makes sense that the doors are not closed for Hardik Pandya. But he has to prove in domestic matches that he can bowl 10 overs consistently.
New Deputy Captain Gill
Subman Gill has been promoted to vice-captain in both T20 and ODIs. With this, India wants to promote him to the captaincy. In the past, India have appointed Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul and Jasprit Parma as alternate captains. But this is the first time they are transitioning to the next generation of youth. While Gill's place in the ODI squad is confirmed, the same cannot be said for the T20s.
During the recent tour of Zimbabwe, Gill was the captain and had three other openers in the playing XI. The intent of his game is under scrutiny. Abhishek Sharma, Rudharaj Gaekwad and Yashshwi Jaiswal had excellent strike-rates and played aggressive cricket. So, Gill has to improve a lot in T20 matches. If not, he risks losing his place. But given his talent, selectors feel it is worth giving Gill time to develop as a T20 batsman. Staying with Gill means there is no place for Abhishek and Gaekwad in the team. A couple of different starters seem to be the backup options right now.
What is Jadeja's status?
Having already retired from T20s, Jadeja is expected to retire from ODIs soon. Given Axar Patel's versatility, especially in white-ball cricket, he is likely to be dropped from the squad. In white-ball cricket, Akshar has shown that he is ahead of Jadeja with bat and ball in limited opportunities. Captain Rohit Sharma also showed confidence in him by asking him to bat at top order. Due to India's penchant for using left-handers as occasional players, Axer is used to break match-ups and he fits the bill.
Like Rohit, Gambhir also relies heavily on data. And Axar has impressed everyone in white-ball cricket. He will be accompanied by Washington Sundar. That means India have different options to work with in white-ball cricket. Because it gives more flexibility to the captain and coach with both bat and ball.
A leap of faith
Role clarity is something Gambhir has been stressing for quite some time, not only as a coach but also as a commentator. As shown in the T20 World Cup squad selection, one aspect is that the current batch of selectors is non-negotiable. In line with tradition, Ryan Barrack, who is used to batting at number 5 in domestic cricket, has been included in the squad. In the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Barak has been one of the most consistent players in the last two seasons, showing his ability to pace his innings without changing his game.
Whether it's consolidating or covering the loss of an early wicket, Barak is used to that versatile role. And since he can contribute in the bowling as well, India will hope to groom him for that lower-order slot. In many ways, as most fringe players are top-order, Barak naturally gets the chance to play at No.5.
Change
When Gambhir was with Lucknow Supergiants, one of his first signings was Ravi Bishnoi. He may not be the greatest turner in his bowling, but Bishnoi has shown enough evidence as to why he is an investment talent, especially in T20s. He was unfortunate to miss out on a T20 World Cup berth. But Bishnoi should play a big role especially in the next edition to be played in India and Sri Lanka. He will challenge Kuldeep Yadav, whose place is sealed in all formats.
In the pace department, the addition of Khalil Ahmed and Harshid Rana means that the selectors will want to develop the next ones in the bowling line-up. Both Ahmed and Rana have been outstanding in the IPL. With Arshdeep Singh in the team, Ahmed can be the back-up left-arm seamer and Rana's pace is always easy.
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