3 young Indian bowlers who should get a chance for ODIs vs West Indies
India will travel to the Caribbean Islands for the all-formats series against the West Indies with an eye on the upcoming ODI World Cup later this year.
With the team combination more-or-less set by the management, as head coach Rahul Dravid said earlier, they will look to play the more or less same team there in the West Indies also.
Dravid said:
"We are pretty clear about the kind of squad and the players we want. We have narrowed it down to 17–18 players. Within the squad, we will like to keep the options. Overall, we are pretty much in good shape."
However, one cannot rule out the possibility of injuries, and in a major tournament like the World Cup, teams always need to have back-ups in their bowling unit - which has been a major issue for India of late.
On that note, let's take a look at three young bowlers that India could use in the upcoming ODI series against the Windies to add depth to the squad for the World Cup.
3 young Indian bowlers who should get a chance for ODIs vs West Indies
#3. Arshdeep Singh
If India lacks in one area in One-Day cricket, then it's picking wickets upfront, when there's a bit of early swing available for the bowlers.
While they do have Mohammad Shami, who has been doing that job for a while, but a lack of able support means his efforts don't hamper the opponents to that extent.
Arshdeep Singh, who is right now playing his trade in county cricket for Kent, has been impressing everyone with his swing display.
The left-arm pacer can move the ball in for the right-handers at pace as well, adding variety to the attack.
The only area of concern in his bowling is his lack of discipline, but with county experience, that should improve.
#2. Ravi Bishnoi
India did miss a trick when they didn't pick Ravi Bishnoi for the T20 World Cup in Australia in 2022. His drift and quickness in the air would have proved quite handy for the longer boundries Down Under.
Kuldeep Yadav has made his case stronger with some outstanding performances in recent times in ODI cricket.
With the team preferring only one wrist spinner in their XI and Yuzvendra Chahal having not been at his usual best in this format, it would be a viable option to prepare a backup in Ravi Bishnoi.
With India playing their matches at venues like Lucknow, Chennai and Ahemdabad in the upcoming World Cup, he can be quite effective with his wrist spin.
#1. Yash Thakur
It might sound quite absurd to try out a rookie bowler in a World Cup year when your coach is saying that they have finalized their core.
But one way to look at it is that India need a hit-the-deck bowler, and with Umran Malik leaking runs and Prasidh Krishna nursing an injury, the choice of picking Yash Thakur seems to be a wise decision.
This can prove to be a win-win situation for the team, as Yash has proved his mettle not only in the middle phase, but also in the death overs of the IPL.