Three Indian Players Who Should Be Axed From ODI Team
Updated - 12 Feb 2020, 01:41 PM
Team India on Tuesday surrendered the ODI series 3-0 to New Zealand and there are some really big question marks all over the squad. With Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan injured, and Virat Kohli not finding his best form throughout the tour, the Black Caps made light work of the Men of Blue.
As obvious, there was a lot of chopping and changing within the team throughout the tour. Many young players were tried in the stead of some of their older counterparts. But team India just couldn’t find the winning combination and in the end, got whitewashed by the Kiwis in the 50-over format.
It’s one thing to promote young talent, but it should not compromise with the balance of the squad.
Having said that, here is a list of the three players who after their recent performances should be axed from team India’s ODI squad.
1) Kedar Jadhav
It’s pretty obvious now that Kedar Jadhav does not deserve to play in the Indian team, not in the ODI format at least. His fielding standards are not up to the mark, and the same can be said about his bowling. India does not need a wicketkeeper so let’s not even discuss that here.
Jadhav, in all his senses, can be a decent batsman, but he’s no Hardik Pandya. India needs a power hitter down the order and a handy all-rounder who can chip in with crucial wickets as well.
In his ODI career with team India, the 34-year-old has played 73 matches and has contributed just 27 wickets.
Just as the argument with MS Dhoni, Jadhav is not getting any younger, so perhaps its time to axe him from the ODI team.
2) Shardul Thakur
Across the three ODIs, India played with New Zealand, Shardul Thakur, took four wickets and he gave away 227 runs in total. In the third ODI, he gifted the Kiwis 87 runs in his spell, 60 runs in Auckland, and 80 runs again in Hamilton.
The argument here is that he’s just not experienced enough to play in the Indian team as a replacement for Mohammad Shami. The whole Indian bowling unit has had underwhelming performances in the ODIs, but Shardul has just looked out of place.
The 28-year-old should be axed from the ODI team on the back of his current form alone.
3) Manish Pandey
It just hasn’t happened for Manish Pandey in the national team, in the ODIs in particular. He did score 42 runs in the third ODI versus New Zealand but wasn’t chosen in the playing XI for the first two games.
Before the New Zealand tour, against Australia at home, Pandey scored a combined ten runs in the two games he played in Rajkot and Bengaluru.
Moreover, whenever coming to bat down the order, he’s looked less dangerous as compared to when he comes on to bat early in the innings.
While the 30-year-old did enough to maybe save his place until Hardik Pandya’s return, considering the kind of form he’s been in of late, Pandey should be axed from the India ODI team.
Tagged:
India tour of Australia 2020 Indian National Cricket Team Kedar Jadhav Manish Pandey New Zealand Cricket Team Shardul Thakur