India selected their 15-man team last week for the ICC ODI World Cup 2023. They are hoping to become the fourth host nation to win the ICC’s top white-ball event. India hasn’t won a tournament since the 2013 Champions Trophy. Thus the team will be under huge pressure to end a long losing streak in the ICC competition.
The lineup is a scaled-down version of the Asia Cup team. That includes three players who did not make the World Cup roster: Tilak Varma, Prasidh Krishna, and Sanju Samson.
KL Rahul returned to the team after missing all of May’s games due to injury. The middle-order batsman Tilak Varma and bowler Prasidh Krishna were also denied spots in the World Squad despite being a part of the Indian cricket team in the Asia Cup.
Take a look at some of the key takeaways from the squad news for Team India for the ICC ODI World Cup 2023.
The Kishan blitz gives Rahul a break
Rahul’s availability as a batter and keeper for Team India has been put to the test when evaluating his fitness. The star batter serves as the keeper and offers the middle order much-needed support.
This was crucial for a team that already had plenty of top-order options in Rohit, Gill, and Kohli. Rahul, who normally bats as an opener, is now batting in the middle of the order for the Indian cricket team.
However, the Karnataka player made his case stronger with an impressive show with the bat. Rahul scored 742 runs in 18 games, averaging 53 and striking out nearly 100 times each game. Sanju Samson’s lack of form and Kishan’s success in the middle order were the two factors for India’s problems with their other keeping chances.
However, Kishan’s recent show against Pakistan in the middle order helped relieve some of the strain on Rahul. This offers Team India better flexibility, allowing Rahul to play as a batter while Kishan keeps wickets in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023.
SKY gets the backing as the backup
Tilak Varma, Samson, and Suryakumar Yadav were all still on the roster for India’s Asia Cup team. This was for the additional batter position for Team India in the middle order. This was due to Suryakumar’s inability to keep his position as a middle-order batsman for the Indian cricket team leading up to the ICC ODI World Cup 2023.
The Mumbai batsman has two half-centuries and 511 runs, at an average of 24.33, in 26 games.
His performance in ODIs in 2023 has been disappointing. In a game against Sri Lanka in January 2023, he scored four runs. Then, in two games against New Zealand, he scored 45 runs.
When he lost to Australia in March, he had three consecutive ducks, thereby disturbing his form. His results against the West Indies slightly improved, scoring 78 runs in three innings.
Nevertheless, the selectors have supported Suryakumar for the ICC ODI World Cup 2023. Maybe his competitors’ success or lack thereof influenced his decision.
Recent failures sting Samson
Samson could’ve made a strong case for a spot on Team Indian at one point this year. He could have taken the backup batter spot in the middle order. Being a keeper also helped.
The Kerala player, however, ran out of form just when he needed it most. Since the West Indies tour, Samson has averaged 22.16 across formats in seven games for the India cricket team.
His ODI average before the tour was 66. Since the West Indies games, those numbers have dropped.
Following the return of Rahul, selectors have backed Suryakumar in the middle-order. Samson finds himself out of the 15-member squad for the ICC ODI World Cup 2023.
Samson is left out of the 15-man squad because the selectors prefer Suryakumar in the middle order and because Rahul has returned, adding another glove option for the Indian cricket team.
But here is what the Team India currently lacks leading up to the ICC World Cup 2023.
Having no part-time options led to all-rounders being backed
Pandya, Shardul, Jadeja, and Axar are four all-rounders for Team India. The Men in Blue place a high value on their ability to bat down in the order. This was seen in their recent Asia Cup match against Pakistan, where they had eight different batting options.
Because of the presence of these all-rounders, several of the specialist bowlers for the Indian cricket team, such as Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Umran Malik, have been unable to make it to the World Cup. The main cause of this is India’s batting unit’s dearth of bowling options.
If some of India’s batsmen were skilled at shifting their arms over, they could have been able to change one or two bowlers. However, the lack of these part-time choices forced Team India to increase its all-around quota to the highest possible level for the ICC ODI World Cup 2023.
