3 Players Who Might Lose Their Spot In The Indian Team If Failed To Perform In Zimbabwe

India will tour Zimbabwe for a 3-match ODI series starting from 18 August till 22 August. The series is part of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League, a 13-team competition serving as the main route for direct qualification for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 to be staged in India.

The BCCI has announced India’s ODI and T20I squads for the series against West Indies. Those who have been rested from the ODIs including captain Rohit Sharma have gone on a short vacation. The 16-member ODI squad has been joined by Sanju Samson, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Shubman Gill. The three were not part of the ODI series against England.

Virat Kohli, who has taken a break and is not part of the West Indies Tour, will stay back in London. His family will join him and they will move to an undisclosed location in England. He will only be back for the Asia Cup, slated to begin on August 27.

3 Indian Players Who Might Be Dropped From India’s ODI Squad If They Don’t Perform In Zimbabwe

1. Shikhar Dhawan

Although Shikhar Dhawan was recently named as captain for the ODI series against West Indies, the age being not by his side and other openers such as Ishan Kishan and Ruturaj Gaikwad knocking on the door, it is certainly going be a tough period for the veteran if he does not perform well against Zimbabwe.

In the ODI Series against England, Dhawan was able to score just 41 runs across 3 innings at a strike rate of less than 50 and never looked comfortable at the crease. Also, the comeback of KL Rahul from injury will only increase the problems for the left-handed opener.

2. Shreyas Iyer

Shreyas Iyer has been going through a rough patch. He has not looked convincing at all during the England tour of the Indian team. His issues against the short-pitched deliveries have come out in open with bowlers adjusting their lengths once he steps in.

Team India’s participation in the ODI series against England included Shreyas Iyer. He was also a member of the starting lineup for the opening game, however, he didn’t get the chance to bat as openers finished the game for India.

He was dropped from the team after Virat Kohli made his comeback in the very next game of the series. This has shown that it will be challenging for him to find a position in the team if his bad performance persists.

3. Axar Patel

The left-arm spinner is viewed as Ravindra Jadeja’s backup option. He does contribute some useful runs in the latter half of the innings and is a dependable fielder overall.

But Axar Patel last played an ODI for India in October 2017. He has been in and out of the team since then. Also, in the recently concluded T20I series against England and South Africa, he underperformed and was replaced by Ravi Bishnoi.

In 7 T20I games this year, he has given away runs at an economy of 8.58 while picking just 3 wickets. He hasn’t provided much with the bat either, scoring more than 10 runs in just one innings.

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