IND vs WI 2022: 3 India players who should have played in the final ODI
Team India completed a clean sweep in the three-match ODI series against West Indies at the Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain, Trinidad, on Wednesday. The Men in Blue defeated the hosts by 119 runs in a rain-curtailed encounter to win the series 3-0.
India had earlier secured a three-run win in the first ODI before clinching the second game by two wickets. Shikhar Dhawan and Co. dominated West Indies in the final game to complete a hattrick of wins. While there were moments for Nicholas Pooran and Co., the tourists held their nerves on every occasion to take the series home.
There were plenty of positives to take from the one-dayers for the visiting side. From Shubman Gill to Shreyas Iyer to Sanju Samson, the batting unit showed substance in the absence of senior cricketers. The bowling unit also did exceedingly well under pressure.
From The #TeamIndia Dressing Room!
Head Coach Rahul Dravid & Captain @SDhawan25 applaud 👏 👏 the team post the 3-0 win in the #WIvIND ODI series. 🗣 🗣
Here's a Dressing Room POV 📽 - By @28anand
P.S. Watch out for the end - expect something fun when Shikhar D is around 😉😁 https://t.co/x2j2Qm4XxZ
However, a few cricketers didn't manage to get game time. The Indian management stuck with their playing XI in the final ODI despite wrapping up the series in the first two matches.
On that note, let's take a look at the three players who should have played the final ODI:
#1 Arshdeep Singh
List A ODI stats
•Avesh Khan :
Matches: 22, Wickets: 17, Eco : 5.43, Avg : 50.2
•Arshdeep Singh:
Matches: 17, Wickets: 21, Eco : 4.76 Avg : 30.9
I don't know, on what basis these players get picked ahead of Arshdeep Singh! Extremely awful selection. https://t.co/TwfdIa8T34
Young left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh was unlucky not to get a game in the entire series. With the Men in Blue preparing their squad for the ODI World Cup at home next year, many fans expected the management to try out Arshdeep to add variety to their bowling attack.
Playing for the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in IPL 2022, Arshdeep was one of the standout performers. He aced the maximum yorkers in the entire competition. He also had a good T20I debut against England, returning with figures of 2/18 in Southampton.
Arshdeep will hope to make his debut in the upcoming ODI series against Zimbabwe next month.
#2 Ruturaj Gaikwad
India's designated openers Shikhar Dhawan and Shubman Gill batted exceedingly well in the series against West Indies. They provided a good start at the top order.
However, with the series done and dusted after the second ODI, many expected Ruturaj Gaikwad to get some game time under his belt.
Gaikwad has a stellar record in List A cricket and scored runs for fun in the recent Vijay Hazare Trophy. The right-handed batter has amassed 603 runs in five matches at a stellar average of 150.75, including four centuries.
#3 Ishan Kishan
While Ishan Kishan has been a regular feature in the T20I side, he hasn't been preferred much in the ODIs. In the recently concluded ODI series against West Indies, Sanju Samson was picked ahead of Ishan.
The Kerala-born cricketer had a good outing in the second game, scoring a half-century. With Samson already proving his potential, the management could have given Ishan an opportunity to showcase what he has to offer in 50-over cricket.