3 players who are likely to miss India's ODI squad against Australia
After drawing level the T20I series against Australia, the visitors see the four-match Test series tied at 1-1 with two matches still to go in Melbourne and Sydney. With much at stake, the remaining encounters promise to be even more intense business before India take on the Aussies in a three-match ODI series.
The ODI affair against the home team will be a countdown to India's final preparation leading into the World Cup, which is scheduled to take place in England during summers of 2019. The team management will be keen on giving enough game time to their probable squad of 15-members who are in sight for the prestigious tournament.
It will be interesting to see as the three matches in Australia will be India's final roll of dice in search of the solution to their middle-order woes and an experiment to find enough back-up to each spot. The likes of MS Dhoni, Dinesh Karthik, and Ambati Rayudu, will love to get into the groove with not many games before the World Cup.
The selection of the squad would also give an indication to India's strategy for the upcoming tournament. Kohli and the team management would want to take every game as an opportunity to find out their best XI. As a result, it might see a few players being axed from the squad due to their unlikely selection for the World Cup or an attempt to manage their workload.
Here's a look at 3 players who are likely to miss India's ODI squad against Australia:
#3 KL Rahul
The ever so talented KL Rahul has struggled for form in all the three formats. A career that began with a lot of promise on the show, has taken a fair dip for a time longer than expected. The Karnataka-born lad, who possess sheer class and looks menacing when on song, has failed to perform consistently at the highest level. He is lacking in confidence which is evident in his will to adapt according to the format and the situation of the game.
Rahul, who is now India's third opener as a backup to Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan in ODIs, has failed to get a go in the limited overs format. His recent Test failures come back to haunt him times and again, despite continuous backing from the skipper and the team management.
It would be no surprise if Rahul is overlooked for any further go in the white ball format. This could also see him being deprived of any chances of being in the squad for the World Cup 2019.