India's ODI squad: 2 significant exclusions; one correct, other dubious
The 17-member Indian squad announced for three ODIs against Australia and five ODIs against New Zealand has two significant exclusions in the form of Rishabh Pant and Manish Pandey.
The decision to drop the young wicket-keeper in favour of Dinesh Karthik can be construed as judicious. As things stand, in the form of the veteran MS Dhoni, India have one of the best wicket-keepers in the world. He is, by far, India’s - and possibly the world’s - best wicket-keeper.
As for his batting, there is no doubt his prowess is on the wane. He has been India’s ODI finisher for a while, but on the evidence of his batting post-2015 World Cup, it is safe to say that he is no longer the Dhoni of old, the destroyer and the finisher.
Even then, his utility to the team on the field both in terms of his wicket-keeping credentials and tactical nous, makes him India’s preferred wicket-keeper in the ODI format.
In the 2019 World Cup, barring some unforeseen circumstances, Dhoni is sure to be a part of the playing XI as India’s wicket-keeper. So, it is only fair that India should have one backup wicketkeeper-batsman, and not two.
In the bilateral ODI series against West Indies, India experimented with Rishabh Pant as a middle-order batsman and he failed spectacularly. Before that, Dinesh Karthik had done a decent job as a middle-order batsman in the Asia Cup. So, choosing the experienced Karthik over an impetuous Pant is the right call.
However, it is the exclusion of Manish Pandey from India’s ODI set-up that is a contentious one. He has been a part of India’s ODI squad on a regular basis in recent times, but has rarely been a part of the playing XI. He has been the preferred fielder whenever someone has gone down injured or needed a rest during a match.
His form with India A during the tour Down Under has been quite good. So, dropping him without giving him an opportunity seems a tad unfair.
He has played more ODIs than an out-of-form KL Rahul. And both his ODI average and strike rate are superior to those of Rahul. So, preferring Rahul over Pandey seems to have been done more on the basis of perception than performance.