Umran Malik vs Shardul Thakur - Who should India play in the ODIs against New Zealand?

India dished out a dominant performance against Sri Lanka in the ODI series, completing a 3-0 whitewash, and will now host New Zealand for another three ODIs. The hosts flexed their muscles as far as their batting was concerned, but it was their bowling that was the real highlight of the series.

The likes of Mohammed Siraj and Kuldeep Yadav proved why they have become almost invaluable to the Indian bowling attack, especially in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah. However, there has also been a lot of talk about India's batting depth in ODIs and whether it's good enough for a tournament like the World Cup.

This has raised quite an intriguing debate about who the hosts should have as their third pacer in the ODIs against New Zealand between Shardul Thakur and Umran Malik.

On that note, let's do a detailed analysis of three key points and try to figure out who could get a nod over the other:

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#1 Umran vs Shardul: Who can contribute with the bat better?

In India's first ODI against Sri Lanka in Guwahati, their last three overs saw them score just 17 runs. Bowlers Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj failed to give the innings the finishing kick they needed with the bat.

This has raised many theories about why it is important for the Men in Blue to have a bowler who can bat at No.8. With Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav likely to be the two spinners against the Kiwis, the No.8 will probably need to be a pacer who can bat, and here's where Shardul Thakur comfortably pips Umran Malik.

Thakur has shown how capable he is with the bat on multiple occasions, especially in Test cricket, and can do the same in ODIs if he receives a consistent run of games. He also has an ODI half-century to his name and is arguably a better batter than Umran, who more often than not bats at No.11.

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#2 Umran vs Shardul: Who has a better penetration as an enforcer for India?

With Siraj and Shami once again likely to be the new-ball bowlers in the ODI series against the Kiwis, both Thakur and Umran might have to take on the role of a first-change bowler. They will predominantly need to bowl in the middle overs (11-40), which will be a different challenge as there is an extra man inside the 30-yard circle.

Thakur has 31 wickets in this phase, with a decent economy rate of 5.70 and an average of 26.12. He has created a reputation for himself as someone who has a knack for picking wickets and breaking crucial partnerships.

Although Umran has a smaller sample size of six innings, he has picked up 11 wickets in this phase at a better average (18.90) and also a better economy rate (5.33) than that of Thakur. This probably puts him ahead of the Mumbai pacer in terms of the ability to break partnerships in the middle phase of an ODI.

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#3 Umran vs Shardul: Who can rush the batters with extra pace?

With all the skills that Shardul Thakur has at his disposal, it is Umran Malik's raw pace that makes him unique and sets him apart from most pacers in India. The speedster recently broke the record twice for the fastest ball bowled by an Indian in international cricket with his 156 kmph thunderbolt.

Many questioned Umran for his erratic line and length as he has proved to be quite expensive in his T20I career so far. However, that isn't the case as far as the ODIs are concerned as he has shown great control and has mixed his lengths really well.

So on a flat pitch, many would back Umran to produce that cutting edge in the bowling attack with his searing pace over Thakur's variations. With this brief analysis, it seems like India will continue to trust Umran as their third pacer.

Should India once again invest in Shardul Thakur and probably rest Umran Malik for the NZ ODIs? Let us know in the comments.