Three Big Concerns India's ODI Team Must Address

The Indian team would have been relieved seeing the middle-order repair things to propel their team to a compelling score after an early wobble. Over the last few months and even years, it was their top three in the line-up who carried the bulk of run-scoring, and their early wickets would likely mean that the men in blue spent the rest of the overs rebuilding but never quite amassing a competitive score.

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The first ODI between India and the Windies in Chennai witnessed an aura of optimism in that aspect. Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant with their half-centuries followed by Kedar Jadhav’s handy innings thrust the hosts to a score of 287 despite the top three exiting early. However, on the flip side, it was their lacklustre bowling display because of which India ended up on the losing side.

Not only their frontline bowlers but also the ones playing second fiddle proved to be toothless. The Indian spinners especially were shockingly weren’t penetrative enough even in the 198 deliveries bowled by them. It is the highest deliveries bowled by spin bowlers in ODIs in India without picking up a wicket. The fact that neither was their fifth and sixth bowler threatening enough to stop the onslaught launched by Shimron Hetmyer seems more concerning.

The home side needs to regroup quickly ahead of the second ODI in Vishakhapatnam. The next game that begins on the 18th of December is a do or die match. Ahead of the remaining games and the Australians looming, we look at three things that India need to sort out concerning their ODI team.

Playing their two best spinners regularly:

Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav are undoubtedly India’s two best spin bowlers. Chahal has 29 wickets from 16 ODIs this year while Kuldeep has the same number of wickets in 21 games. Both the spinners possess a career average of below 30. Despite this, the men in blue have ceased to play both the spinners on many occasions in the recent past.

They both bowl the best in tandem, complementing each other well and are fearless bowlers too. In the first game, when Shimron Hetmyer was toying with the bowlers, Chahal could have outfoxed him with his googly. Hence, India must find a way to play Chahal and Kuldeep together more often in the coming months.

A wicket-taking fifth bowler:

Hardik Pandya’s absence due to injury made way for Shivam Dube’s inclusion in the squad. The all-rounder from Mumbai earned a place in the ODI squad following encouraging performances against Bangladesh and the Windies in T20Is. Batting as low as number eight, Dube scored only nine runs. However, his performance with the ball was all the more disappointing.

In less than eight overs, the 26-year old conceded 68 runs without any wicket. In his almost eight-over spell, he went for nine fours and a six. Shimron Hetmyer particularly fancied his chances against him, picking up the length correctly to put him away. Even the presence of Ravindra Jadeja and Kedar Jadhav couldn’t cause much trouble to the Windies batsmen.

Hence, India need to find a competent option in the absence of Hardik Pandya, who can support the frontline bowlers in case they go through an off day.

Finding an able contemporary for Jasprit Bumrah:

Let’s face it! What Virat Kohli is to India’s batting line-up, Jasprit Bumrah is to their bowling. In the absence of Bumrah’s inswinging yorkers and cunning change of pace, the hosts terribly missed a bowler who can make regular inroads. The over reliance on the lanky pacer was inevitable. Deepak Chahar, India’s pace ace in T20s was economical, but couldn’t make the impact required.

Mohammed Shami’s rising stocks in Test cricket went inverse with his form in 50-over cricket. His nine overs cost 57 runs. Even though it did produce a wicket, the Bengal pacer couldn’t produce wickets after that to take back the control. With Bhuvneshwar Kumar remaining on the sidelines more often than not, India need to find rapidly another able pace bowler who can serve India better during Bumrah’s unavailability.

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