India vs Australia 2019: 3 Indian players unlucky to be excluded from the ODI squad
India are set to play five ODIs and two T20Is against Australia. The T20Is will be played on 24th and 27th February, while the ODIs will be played from the first week of March.
Today, the BCCI selection committee announced the squad for the two T20Is as well as the ODI series. Indian opener KL Rahul is back in both the squads after he was dropped during the New Zealand series. Virat Kohli is back into the team as well, and he will captain the side.
India's front line fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah is also making a return after some much-needed rest, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been not picked for the first two ODIs, but will play the final three.
The team that plays the final three ODIs is most likely to play in the World Cup 2019 too. Let's see the squad for the final three ODIs:
Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma (vice captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (wk), Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohamed Shami, Vijay Shankar, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant.
India is going with a strong team of 15 players for the final three ODIs against Australia. But there are a few who might feel unlucky to miss out; here's a look at three such players:
#3 Krunal Pandya
Krunal has been a part of India's T20I set up for a while now. He did well with both bat and ball during the New Zealand series.
India are not playing Ravindra Jadeja against Australia, and hence the left arm spinning all-rounder spot is still vacant in the team. Krunal might not have got a chance to play even if he was selected, as India are blessed with several quality spinners. However, he would have been a good back-up in case any one of the spinners got injured.
The Baroda-born cricketer has been doing well in the domestic circuit as well. He scored twin centuries and took a four-wicket haul in a first-class game against Railways in December. Krunal also took a four-wicket haul in his last List A game, against England Lions.
The selectors might be right in going with seaming all-rounders, as England will likely suit the swing bowlers. But India is known for winning games through spin, even outside Asia.
Moreover, Krunal would have contributed the with bat as well, so trying him in the Australia ODI series might have been a good gamble.