Also, a bucketful of allrounders with many left-hand batting options included
Sidharth Monga18-Jan-20251:09
No Shami in Bangar’s XI for Champions Trophy
Transition can waitThere was some chatter around whether India would start their preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup right away, and pick only those senior players who can be sure of playing two years from now for next month’s England ODIs and the Champions Trophy. However, after the Champions Trophy is a more natural reset point. As of now they have complete faith in Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul, but when they sit down to pick the squad for the next ODI assignment after the Champions Trophy, they will surely take into account their game, their age, their fitness, their desire vis-a-vis the 2027 World Cup.Gill, a future ODI captain?When the incumbent captain is certain to lead the side for the next few years, the identity of the vice-captain is not that significant. This, though, is a team in transition. Should, for any reason, Rohit not be part of the team going forward, the selectors seem to have a captain in mind. Shubman Gill was the vice-captain of the last ODI squad too, has been a consistent run-getter, and is most at home in ODIs out of the three formats. His continuing as vice-captain, ahead of other senior players in the Champions Trophy squad, can be seen as a stamp of approval for him as the next captain.A bit of this, a bit of thatThere seems to be a clear impetus for multi-skilled players. They are not quite genuine allrounders – as in, they can’t play based on one discipline alone – but they add depth to the batting. India have picked four of these. Unfortunately, only one of them is a seam bowler – Hardik Pandya. Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar are the three spinner-batters in the squad, which leaves room for only three out-and-out bowlers in the first XI and only three specialist fast bowlers in the 15-member squad.Mohammed Siraj did not find a place in the 15•AFP/Getty ImagesUnfortunate SirajHaving that many allrounders is sure to cause a casualty in one of the two specialist departments. Mohammed Siraj is the unfortunate one to miss out despite taking 47 wickets at 22.7 per wicket and conceding 5.41 per over since the start of 2023.According to captain Rohit and chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar, uncertainty around Jasprit Bumrah might have played a role. Rohit said that if Bumrah doesn’t make it, they want their fast bowler to be effective in all phases of the ODI innings. Rohit said that Siraj’s effectiveness comes down a bit if he doesn’t get the new ball.At any rate, the make-up of the squad suggests they expect conditions where they will regularly play three spinners. The question of not getting the new ball arises only if three quicks are playing. Keeping all that in mind, with Bumrah not certain to play, Rohit said they wanted Arshdeep Singh to be there for the “back end”.What is more interesting is that Harshit Rana is Bumrah’s cover in the three-ODI series against England, which precedes the Champions Trophy. That is probably because India already know what they get with Siraj. Rana is someone they want to take a look at. This is no indication that Siraj won’t be considered should Bumrah not be able to make it. Asked if the selectors had someone in mind if Bumrah didn’t make it, Agarkar said his panel was “just hoping Bumrah’s fit. We will have a chat if he’s not fit.”Domestic cricket – important or not?Sanju Samson scored a hundred in the last ODI he played while Rishabh Pant was not a regular in the last ODI series he was a part of. However, Samson was unlikely to be part of the discussions here because he was disciplined by his state association for allegedly not turning up for the one-day camp. If the national team goes ahead and ignores Samson’s absence in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, it sends a mixed signal after having just insisted on the importance of paying domestic cricket.However, there will always be exceptions. Kuldeep Yadav, who has now recovered from his sports hernia surgery, will walk back into the squad even though at various times the decision-makers keep saying injured players have to prove their match fitness in domestic cricket in order to make a comeback. Nor will they ask Bumrah to play domestic cricket if he has to play the Champions Trophy.Kuldeep Yadav is back after an injury layoff•Getty ImagesIt would be naive to think that the singularity of what Kuldeep and Bumrah do doesn’t play any part in exceptions being made for them. At the same time, circumstances are such that there is no domestic cricket on for Kuldeep’s team when he has been cleared for action. He has worked up to loads of 10-12 overs at the National Cricket Academy, where he has been recovering.Left-hand reservesIndia’s top five were in such sensational form the last time they played together that they select themselves in the first XI. However, they are all right-hand batters: Rohit, Gill, Kohli, Shreyas Iyer and Rahul. Then the only seam-bowling allrounder, Pandya, is also a right-hand batter. No surprise that the next cabs in the rank are both left-hand batters: Yashasvi Jaiswal and Pant. All three of the spin allrounders are also left-hand batters. Axar, in particular, has been used to break up the right-hand batter cluster in the past.Possible first XI: 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Shubman Gill (vice-capt), 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Shreyas Iyer, 5 KL Rahul (wk), 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Axar Patel/Washington Sundar, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Jasprit Bumrah/Arshdeep Singh