3 ODI players who should not be part of Team India's T20I squad
Team India have, in the recent past, been guilty of "mixing formats". The Men in Blue have often tried to incorporate "all-format" players, thereby regularly using certain big names in formats their game is not suited to.
That hasn't worked out too well for India. They're on the back of two disappointing campaigns in the T20 World Cup and haven't been able to establish themselves as a T20I side to be feared. With the next two-year shortest-format cycle having started, India need to identify the right personnel to put their T20I trophy wait to rest.
Here are three ODI players who should not be part of Team India's T20I squad.
#3 Yuzvendra Chahal
There's a reason why Yuzvendra Chahal hasn't played much of a role in India's last two T20 World Cup campaigns despite his impressive returns in the Indian Premier League. The leg-spinner has been hugely disappointing for the national side in both white-ball formats over the last few years.
The numbers have been talked about often enough; what's more concerning is the fact that Chahal's bowling seems dated in the shortest format. He has tried to get quicker through the air after seeing his go-to strategies fail for years, but his style of bowling doesn't seem like it could develop sufficiently so late in his career.
With other options like Ravi Bishnoi and Rahul Chahar waiting in the wings, it's time for India to drop Chahal from T20Is. Whether he can make an impact in ODIs ahead of the World Cup remains to be seen.
#2 KL Rahul
This is a highly controversial choice. At his best, KL Rahul is arguably the best T20 player in the country. Unfortunately, though, the batter hasn't been anywhere near his best for a consistent period of time in the shortest format, particularly when put under pressure.
There's no technical reason why Rahul can't succeed in T20Is. He has all the shots in the book, has no real weaknesses against both spin and pace, and is versatile enough to take on a number of roles in the batting order. But the 30-year-old's mentality and intent have been called into question far too often.
Rahul definitely has a future in T20I cricket, so it would be stupid to shut the door on him completely. While this is unlikely to happen, India might have to temporarily drop the batter from the shortest format until he sorts out his intangible issues.
#1 Ruturaj Gaikwad
Surprisingly, Ruturaj Gaikwad has been earning call-ups to the T20I squad while being overlooked in the 50-over format. The Chennai Super Kings batter's game is perfectly suited to ODI cricket, and he arguably hasn't developed enough to be a reliable T20I batter.
Gaikwad endured a disappointing Indian Premier League campaign last year, struggling against pace and swing in the opening powerplay. While he has proven to be a delightful batter when on song, he hasn't been able to overcome his initial nervy phase often enough to notch up big scores.
With clear weaknesses in his game against pace and a sketchy strike rate, Gaikwad shouldn't be in the T20I mix as of now. India have enough options in the form of Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Prithvi Shaw, Deepak Hooda and many more.