5 players from the Indian ODI team who should not play T20Is

The shortest version of the game has certain specific demands from cricketers that prove to be the difference between a win and a loss, which is why it is naive to think that excellence in the other formats of the game can be replicated in T20 cricket. Some fine cricketers, who shine in one day cricket find it difficult to get the hand of T20 cricket quite often and hence, it is perhaps the responsibility of the selectors to ensure that those players are not a part of the T20 team.

Ever since the inception of the IPL, India has produced plenty of highly talented cricketers who have become excellent T20 players and there is no dearth of talent in the country in that regard. However, there are some players whose game is simply not suited for T20 cricket or they have not been able to come up with decent enough performances in the shortest format of the game for quite a while.

Here is a look at 5 of those cricketers from India.

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#5 Ajinkya Rahane

Ajinkya Rahane is probably one of the best batsmen produced by India in recent years. He is an indispensable member of the Test team and till a year or so ago, he was a fixture in the Indian side in all three formats of the game. However, it seems that the Indian team management has finally realised that Rahane's brand of batting is perhaps not best suited to the shortest version of the game.

First of all, he needs a few deliveries to get going and constant attempts to hit boundaries or succeeding at it is simply not how he plays the game. In a game in which an innings lasts for only 120 legal deliveries, a team cannot make provisions for such a batsman and after his less than flattering show in the 2016 World Cup, the writing seemed to be on the wall.

It seems Rahane won't be seen in India colours in T20s again unless his game improves tremendously.

#4 Kedar Jadhav

Kedar Jadhav

The all-rounder who has become an integral member of the Indian one day international set up over the past year or so has not been a particularly productive player for the side in T20 Internationals. While his lower-middle order hitting in one-day internationals is quite effective, it has not been as effective in T20 Internationals. He does not get to bat as frequently and in fact, has got the opportunity to bat only thrice in 9 T20Is that he has played so far.

Other than the 50 odd he scored against Zimbabwe, last year, there has been nothing of note and perhaps the run a ball 27 v Australia at Guwahati in the last series sealed his fate. Moreover, Jadhav's fielding is not often up to the mark and he has never bowled for India in T20s either.

In such a situation, it is hard to figure out what exactly he adds to the T20I side and from now on, he is probably only going to be considered for the ODI side.

#3 Mohammed Shami

Mohammed Shami

Till the World Cup in 2015, fast bowler Mohammed Shami must have been the first name on the team sheet but subsequent injuries mean that he is far lower in the pecking order of Indian fast bowlers as far as limited overs cricket is concerned. Following his return from injury, he has not had the same influence that he used to have in the past when he provided the Indian team with a certain level of control during the middle over, and the same has seeped into his T20I performances as well.

Shami last played a T20 for India in July this year and from then on, he hasn't been able to find his way back to the eleven, while he continues to be a part of the Test set up. An economy rate of 10.56 in 7 T20Is is hardly the sort of numbers that can fill the team management with any confidence.

That said, he might improve in another season or two since, at the end of the day, he is a very good bowler. Till then, Shami should concentrate more on ODIs and Test cricket in order to get back to his best, since there is hardly any margin for error in T20 cricket.

#2 Umesh Yadav

Umesh Yadav

It is perhaps a tad unfair on Umesh Yadav but the fact remains that he has so far played only one T20I for India and it does not look like he is going to get a look into the playing XI anytime soon. With Hardik Pandya firmly established in the side as the third pacer and promising young bowlers like Mohammed Siraj being selected ahead of him, the writing is on the wall as far as his T20 career is concerned.

In ODIs, he is still a part of the setup and can work well if one of Bumrah or Bhuvaneshwar is unavailable.

On the other hand, over the past year and a half, Umesh Yadav has turned into one of India's best bowlers in Test cricket and perhaps the freedom to experiment a bit more has made him such a lethal bowler for India in the longest format of the game.

#1 Dinesh Karthik

Dinesh Karthik

When India played their first T20I game 11 years ago against South Africa, Dinesh Karthik was the Man of the Match for his 28-ball-33 but since then he has only played nine more T20Is. He has scored no fifties and strikes at 126.49. Despite making it to the Indian ODI team on the back of excellent domestic performances, it is a bit of a stretch for India to expect him to be a long-term solution to the middle order in T20 cricket.

Players like KL Rahul and Manish Pandey are definitely a better bet for the future, with the former being one of the finest young batsmen to have emerged in world cricket in recent years. Shreyash Iyer has also been selected and it is clear that the team management is looking for new blood.

Karthik is now 32 and his inclusion is not the long-term solution that India is looking for. Only if MS Dhoni gives up T20I cricket, then Karthik could be an option for the wicketkeeper-batsman slot. Till then, he should be an option for India in ODIs only.