5 India selection choices for South Africa tour that don't make sense ft. Sanju Samson
After a disappointing end to the World Cup, it's time for the next big assignment for the Indian team as the Men in Blue are all set to travel to South Africa for an all-format tour starting December 10.
The BCCI announced the squads for the litmus test for the side to start afresh, for the new World Test Championship cycle, and polish their T20 World Cup preparations.
While senior players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli requested a break from the white-ball leg of the tour (both will play the Test series), and hence have not been picked for the T20Is and ODIs, selectors' experimentation with youngsters in white-ball cricket continues.
Suryakumar Yadav will be the captain of the T20I team, while KL Rahul will lead the ODI side. The two sides will be involved in three T20Is and as many ODIs, followed by a two-match Test series.
While there were some welcome calls taken by the selection committee, with the likes of Rinku Singh and Rajat Patidar being added to the ODI set-up, a few selections raised questions and left many baffled.
In this article, we will discuss some of the selections that sow more doubts than clearing them.
5 selection choices for the India tour of South Africa that don't make sense
#5. Ravindra Jadeja, the T20 vice-captain, was excluded from ODIs
Ravindra Jadeja, who strikes at just 123.56 despite batting at 7 in T20s, a position where usually finishers strike into 160–170 SR, doesn't justify his place in this format on the basis of his batting skills.
With the ball though, since 2022, he did pick up 26 wickets in as many matches, but his economy of 8.86 with a dot ball percentage of only 33.9% doesn't validate his upgrade to vice captaincy.
If selectors do trust his white-ball skills in T20, then it's quite a surprise that he is not a part of the ODI set-up.
#4. Axar Patel's ommision in T20s
Axar Patel seemed to have regained his rhythm with the ball in the ongoing home series against Australia after returning from his injury.
Besides his 19th over of the third T20I in Guwahati, where he gave away 22 runs, he bowled exceptionally well in the series.
Also, his batting adds immeasurable value to the side, and he could have been a perfect left-handed floater.
While he has been dropped from the Indian T20I side, the selectors have entrusted Axar with ODIs.
#3. Wrong'un from selectors
India's decision to go with four spinners in the ODI squad for a series in South Africa is something that doesn't seem feasible.
With short boundaries and bouncy wickets aiding pacers, spinners' role has its limitations in South Africa.
When India toured SA in 2018, the spin duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav picked up 30+ wickets together.
But what we have seen in recent times is that spinners in South Africa are not that effective, and hence the management could have gone for fewer spinners.
#2. The curious case of Prasidh Krishna
Prasidh Krishna, who was called up for the 2023 ODI World Cup as a replacement for the injured Hardik Pandya and was in the reckoning, was not named in the ODI squad.
Prasidh Krishna, in his recent outings against Australia, racked up wickets but failed to produce good numbers.
While his numbers are not that satisfactory, picking up 4 wickets at an economy of 13.25, these are still T20I numbers.
The selectors left him out from the ODIs, where he was in contention a few weeks ago during the World Cup.
#1. Wrong musical chairs game with Sanju Samson
The highlight of this selection was Sanju Samson's inclusion in the Indian ODI setup.
But the wicketkeeper-batter not being considered for the T20Is raised many eyebrows. A brilliant pace hitter and a decent batter against spin, Sanju can bat anywhere in the line-up. Additionally, he becomes a fine option to be in contention for India selection given his wicketkeeping abilities.
So, a player with this much value not being selected in the T20I squadz especially with the World Cup in sight, seems like a questionable decision.