3 notable exclusions from India's ODI squad for the West Indies series and the probable reasons why
As Team India build towards the 2023 World Cup, their ODI squad is slowly taking shape. The selectors have announced a fairly strong contingent to take on the West Indies next month.
Suryakumar Yadav has retained his place in the side despite a terrible run of form in any format that isn't T20Is, and Ruturaj Gaikwad and Sanju Samson are in the mix as well. The pace attack looks quite thin, though, with Jasprit Bumrah still recovering from a long-term back injury.
India's ODI squad for the West Indies series:
Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya (vice-captain), Shardul Thakur, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat, Mohammed Siraj, Umran Malik, Mukesh Kumar.
It is worth drawing attention to the fact that a few names who have been in the ODI scheme of things so far now find themselves without a spot in the squad. There has been no communication from the selectors regarding the same, so we try to point out these decisions and rationalize them.
Here are three notable exclusions from India's ODI squad for the West Indies tour and the probable reasons why.
#3 Mohammad Shami
Mohammad Shami has played 90 ODIs for India, with 162 wickets at an average of 25.99 and an economy rate of 5.61. Those are decent numbers, and his recent form hasn't suggested that his race in the format is run as well.
Shami has likely been rested for the West Indies tour after a fair amount of bowling workload in the last few months. It wouldn't be wise to run him into the ground, especially with Bumrah's status being up in the air.
Shami will be a key cog in the Indian wheel in the lead-up to - and during - the World Cup later this year. It must be said, though, that he needs to prove that he can spearhead the pace attack.
#2 Washington Sundar
Washington Sundar has played 15 ODIs since the start of 2022 but now finds himself out of the squad, which features four spinners (including two spin-bowling all-rounders in Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel).
The primary reason behind this could be the fact that Sundar has dealt with a plethora of injuries of late, having missed large portions of several tournaments. He has also had a reduced role in the four ODIs he has played in 2023, with only 21 runs and two wickets to show for in those matches.
Sundar had a decent calendar year in 2022, notching up 212 runs and scalping 13 wickets in 11 matches. That form made it seem like he'd be an integral part of a home World Cup, but that dream has hit a slight roadblock.
#1 Arshdeep Singh
Arshdeep Singh's ODI career hasn't quite taken off in the way his T20I career has. The left-arm pacer has played only three ODIs to date, with no wickets to show for. Those numbers are a touch misleading, though, since he has never been given a good run of games to make an impression.
Arshdeep's swing bowling and ability at the death make him a perfect candidate to man the fast-bowling lineup in subcontinental conditions, but he doesn't seem to be in the selectors' immediate plans right now. Jaydev Unadkat is part of the squad to provide some left-arm variety, with the likes of Mukesh Kumar and Umran Malik being the other fringe specialist seamers.
Arshdeep could become a real asset in the 50-over format and has perhaps been sidelined because of his brief patches of inconsistency so far.