"Unless India gives the players a long rope, they won't be able to get performance" - Wasim Jaffer
Former Indian opener Wasim Jaffer hasn't been impressed with the chopping and change that the Indian team have undergone over the past few months.
Even after the T20 World Cup, the experimentation continued as the likes of Kuldeep Yadav failed to get even a single game on the New Zealand tour. Only six players from the squad that played against the Kiwis will now be on the plane to Bangladesh as well.
Jaffer feels that it is natural for players to feel that extra pressure if they are given only a few chances at best to perform. He believes that team management needs to show more confidence in players if they want them to thrive.
Speaking to ESPNCricinfo, Wasim Jaffer spoke about players like Deepak Hooda, whose recent failures might be due to a lack of consistent chances. He said:
"Unless India gives the players a long rope, they won't be able to get performances. The player will also feel that he has just 1-2 opportunities or else there are others waiting in the wings. I said the same thing about Deepak Hooda as he too gets a chance and then gets dropped."
Wasim Jaffer on Sanju Samson
Sanju Samson averages an astonishing 66 in ODI cricket after just 10 innings. He has proved to be a versatile batter, thriving in the role of the finisher in ODI series against the West Indies, Zimbabwe and South Africa earlier this year.
However, he got just a single game in the entire tour of New Zealand and was dropped even after making a steady 36 in that game.
On this, Wasim Jaffer stated:
"Sanju Samson has been in fine form and can perform in every position from No. 3 to No. 6, be it in T20Is or ODIs. He can keep wickets as well and I feel when he is in such good form, it should be used to our advantage."
With Hooda and Samson not in India's ODI squad against Bangladesh, it will be interesting to see whether they are in the plans of the new selection committee. Their omission also raises doubts about their participation in next year's ODI World Cup, set to be held in India.
India's squad for Bangladesh ODIs: Rohit Sharma (C), KL Rahul (VC), Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Shreyas Iyer, Rahul Tripathi, Rishabh Pant (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Shahbaz Ahmed, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Deepak Chahar, Kuldeep Sen.