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India has a lot of cricketing talent is an understatement nowadays. Be it batting, bowling or fielding, India has more than a solid bench strength. There are four to five contenders for a single spot in the ODI team, all of the highest quality and all different in their own ways.
With such an abundance of cricketing talent, India can very well produce more than one ODI team and all of them will be extremely and equally competitive.
Indian domestic structure is known to be excellent and year after year it produces a plethora of talent, so much so that it becomes extremely difficult to select handful of players to represent the country and decide on the best possible combination.
What if India decides that three of its teams will simultaneously play international cricket? Well, let us dive into some fiction and have a look at these three teams:
Team 1
Openers
KL Rahul, the stylish right hander would open the batting. His exquisite stokes would help the team get off to flying starts and he would aptly utilize the fielding restrictions. He can play every shots in the book. Watching him bat is really pleasing to the eye.
Opening the batting with KL Rahul would be Surya Kumar Yadav, the man who was a revelation in the IPL season gone by. Yadav has been around for a long time now in domestic cricket, but has struggled for consistency throughout his career.
However, he was incredibly consistent for the Mumbai Indians at the top of the order in IPL 2018 and so, he becomes a prime contender for the opening spot.
Middle-Order
Sanju Samson, the explosive right-hander would bat at number 3 as his game is a perfect blend of attack and defence- exactly what is required for the role. He is blessed with raw talent and has been touted as the next big thing in international cricket after a successful IPL season with the Rajasthan Royals.
He would look to capitalize on the starts given by the openers. He would look to lay down a platform for the middle order to flourish.
Karun Nair will add method to top order's aggression. He has a calm head on his shoulders and is more of an accumulator.However, he has significantly improved his limited-over's game. He has transformed into a dynamic stroke maker, perfect for the number four position.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Captain and Wicket-keeper)
M.S Dhoni will lead this side. His presence in the middle-order will be of utmost importance. He is arguably the best finisher of modern era and will add invaluable experience to the batting line-up.
He has led India to many glories in the past which is a testimony to his excellent captaincy skills. He will also be the wicket-keeper of this side.
Kedar Jadhav, the dynamic right hander, will bat at number six. Jadhav is known for his swashbuckling style of batting. He plays some of the most outrageous strokes and is equally lethal against both spin and pace.
He is a dangerous proposition for any bowling attack and plays the short ball well.
Hardik Pandya will be the finisher in this batting lineup. He is deadly against the spinners and can also hit some lusty blows against the quicks. He will also contribute with some overs and thus, he will provide incredible balance to the team.
He is arguably one of the best all-rounder in world cricket at the moment.
Bowlers
Umesh Yadav has come a long way in limited overs cricket. He always had pace and it was only a matter of him finding consistency. Having found that, he is now one of India's premier pacers.
Mayank Markande, the young leg-spinner from Punjab, burst onto the scene when he scalped the precious wicket of M.S Dhoni in IPL 2018. He has all the qualities in him to make it to the topmost level. He has a lot of variations in his bowling.
He also displayed immense maturity during pressure situations. He will be the wrist spinner in this side.
Krishnappa Gowtham will be the other spinner in this lineup. The 29 year old dazzled with both bat and bowl for the Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2018. He made some match winning contributions for them.
Another player who looks ready for the big stage is speedster Deepak Chahar. He is a wicket taker who specializes in striking with the new ball. At CSK, he played under the leadership of M.S. Dhoni which has helped him immensely.
He will open the bowling for this team.
Team 2
Openers
Rishabh Pant (Wicket-keeper)
Rishabh Pant will open the batting. The southpaw has come a long way as an opener since making his U19 debut for India. He is destructive against both spin and pace and can dismantle any bowling attack on his day.
He will also handle the wicket-keeping duties.
Rohit Sharma (Captain)
Rohit Sharma will partner Pant at the top and get the team off to flying starts. He can play every shot in the book and is equally destructive against both spin and pace.
His experience of captaining the Mumbai Indians in the IPL makes him a good choice to lead this team.
Middle-order
Mayank Agarwal has been in excellent form throughout the domestic season but somehow, he was overlooked for selection in the Indian team. He oozes class and is a great timer of the cricket ball.
He will bat at number three in this lineup.
Shreyas Iyer, the right hander, will bat at number four. He is a stylish and an orthodox batsman who makes batting look easy. He has a calm head on his shoulders and is perfect for the number four position as his game is a blend of attack and defence.
Mandeep Singh is a talented batsman from Punjab who is highly rated by many pundits and coaches. He has struggled to enter the Indian ODI team due to colossal competition for places in the middle order.
He will bat at five in this team.
Manish Pandey will occupy the number six spot. He is a free flowing batsman who accelerates the innings perfectly. He has an unusual but mightily effective technique. To add to this, he is an excellent fielder as well.
Krunal pandya will be the all rounder in this team. Like his brother, he is a utility player who can contribute with both bat and ball . He adds a lot of balance to the team's composition.
Bowlers
Leading the bowling attack will be Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The speedster has come off age in the international cricket and is now a complete package with the ball. He is quite handy with the bat as well.
Siddharth Kaul is an aggressive fast bowler. He will share the new ball with Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Kaul is useful with all his variations at the death and he also picks up wickets upfront.
Ravichandran Ashwin will add experience to the spin department. Recently, the off-spinner has struggled to enter India's limited overs squad but he still has a lot to offer with all his variations.
Kuldeep Yadav will be the wrist-spinner in this team. An outright wicket-taker, Yadav has taken giant strides in international cricket.
He is a dream bowler for every ODI captain.
Team 3
Openers
Shikhar Dhawan will open the batting, like he usually does. The southpaw has come a long way as an opener since making his international debut for India. He has made some adjustments to his technique which has enabled him to thrive in foreign conditions as well.
Ajinkya Rahane will open the batting alongside Shikhar Dhawan. The classy right hander favors to play at the top of the order and his game is best suited for this position. He can time the ball into the gaps during powerplays.
Middle-Order
Virat Kohli (Captain)
One player who will be the first pick in any international team at the moment is Virat Kohli. His numbers speak for themselves and he is arguably one of the best limited overs batsman to have ever graced the game.
He will bat at his preferred number three position in this team and will also lead the side.
Dinesh Karthik ( Wicket-keeper)
Dinesh Karthik will bat at four for this Indian team. He has abundance of experience at international stage and this will be vital for the middle order. He will also have the responsibility of keeping wickets in this lineup.
Nitish Rana should get a chance to shine on the big stage. The southpaw possesses a gift of timing and has been consistent in domestic cricket for quite some time now. It will be interesting to see how he fares in international cricket.
Suresh Raina might have dropped down the pecking order, but he still has a lot to offer to Indian cricket. He is one of those rare batsman who can attack from the very first ball. He can also chip in with few handy overs and hence, he is a great asset in ODI cricket.
Vijay Shankar will be the fast bowling all rounder in this team. He has impressed one and all with his exploits in domestic cricket for Tamil Nadu and he is ready for the big stage.
Bowlers
Ravindra Jadeja is another cricketer who has a point to prove in limited overs cricket but there is no denying the fact that he is a match winner. He is an excellent bowler, can contribute with the bat and is a tremendous fielder. He is an ideal ODI cricketer.
Jasprit Bumrah has been a revelation ever since he made his debut for India. He is a complete bowler who ban swing the ball early and bowl yorkers at will in the death overs. He will lead the pace attack in this team
Ankit Rajpoot
Another speedster who has impressed everyone is Ankit Rajpoot. He is tall, has pace and can swing the ball. He is extremely competitive as well and has all the attributes to succeed in international cricket
Yuzvendra Chahal is a permanent in India's limited overs team. He is an attacking wrist spinner who has flourished under the leadership of Virat Kohli. He has a lot to offer with his variations.
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