3 takeaways from India's ODI squad for Australia series

The All India Senior Selection Committee, bereft of the chairman, recently named a 18-member squad that will take on Australia in a three-match ODI series following the Border Gavaskar Trophy. The three ODIs will be played in Mumbai, Visakhapatnam, and Chennai, respectively, starting on March 17.

The squad bears a similar look to the one that took on New Zealand in the three-match series recently. There have, however, been a few changes, like the return of KL Rahul and the omissions of Rajat Patidar and KS Bharat.

One major surprise is the inclusion of senior fast bowler Jaydev Unadkat, who returns to the ODI fold after almost 10 years. Rohit Sharma will miss the first game due to personal reasons but will be back for the remainder of the series. Hardik Pandya will fill in as skipper in the first ODI for the veteran in Mumbai.

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India Squad for ODIs vs Australia: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya (Vice-captain), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umran Malik, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, and Jaydev Unadkat.

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On that note, let's take a look at three takeaways from the team selection.

#1 Jasprit Bumrah still not fit

Bumrah is yet to be cleared by the NCA

India's frontline pacer, Jasprit Bumrah, continues to miss out on international assignments owing to an injury that has kept him out of action for more than five months.

The NCA did not clear him for the ODI series as well as the two remaining Tests against the Aussies, as they are keen to ensure that he is 100 percent fit. Bumrah might make a comeback to competitive cricket in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), where he plays for the Mumbai Indians.

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#2 The search for a left-arm pacer is still on

Jaydev Unadkat was named in the ODI squad for the first time since 2013. This essentially means that the selectors and team management are still on the lookout for a left-arm pace option ahead of the Cricket World Cup in India later this year.

Earlier, Arshdeep Singh, who starred in the T20 format, was tried in ODIs but it seems that the selectors are not very keen to continue with him in the 50-over format. The youngster wasn't able to pick up a single wicket in the three ODIs he has played so far and was also expensive.

Unadkat has a lot of domestic experience and his good run in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, where he finished as the joint-highest wicket-taker, has earned him a call-up.

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#3 Sanju Samson not in plans for ODI World Cup

Having made his ODI debut in 2021, Sanju has played only 11 games so far

Sanju Samson, who has recovered from his knee injury, was ignored by the selectors despite doing well in the limited opportunities that he has had so far in the 50-over format. Samson played 10 ODIs in 2022, scoring 284 runs at an average of 71 and a strike rate in excess of 100.

Instead, the panel have chosen to back the out-of-sort KL Rahul, who has been in disastrous form in recent times. Samson will soon be seen in action in IPL 2023, leading the Rajasthan Royals.