5 surprise inclusions in the Indian side for the New Zealand ODIs

The Indian squad for the first 3 ODIs of the upcoming 5-match series against New Zealand was announced last week. While some of the big names that were rested for the series against Zimbabwe earlier this year have returned to the side, a few credible performers from that series have been shown the door.

The squad selection also saw some surprise additions as out of favour cricketers regained their spot in the team whereas certain players who hardly had any role to play in the Zimbabwe series have retained theirs.

Here are 5 cricketers whose inclusion in the Indian ODI team for the New Zealand series was a bit surprising:

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#5 Jayant Yadav

Jayant Yadav is yet to make his international debut (Image Credit: ESPNCricinfo)

Haryana off-spinner Jayant Yadav received his maiden call-up to the Indian ODI team in June this year for the tour of Zimbabwe as a number of the regular members in the side had been rested.

However, he did not feature in any of the 3 one-day matches and also wasn’t included in the playing XI during the T20Is.

On the other hand, some of the other new players who accompanied Yadav on the tour did make their debuts and put up a decent performance. Therefore, it comes as a surprise that Yadav has pipped the likes of Yuzvendra Chahal, who took 6 wickets in 3 matches, to find a place in the Indian team for the New Zealand ODI series.

#4 Mandeep Singh

Mandeep Singh scored a 50 in his second T20I match

Punjab’s Mandeep Singh has been among the most promising young batsmen in the Indian domestic circuit for quite a while now. After a long wait, the 24-year old finally got his opportunity when he was included in the national squad for their limited-overs tour to Zimbabwe earlier this year.

While he did score 88 runs in the 3 T20Is that he played, including a maiden fifty, Mandeep was not tried during the 3-match ODI series which preceded the 20-over games. Left-handed Vidarbha batsman Faiz Fazal, meanwhile, got a chance to make his ODI debut and cashed in with a well-compiled half-century.

It is surprising, though, that among these two, the selectors chose Mandeep Singh despite the fact that Fazal already had a successful 50-over outing under his belt.

#3 Kedar Jadhav

Kedar Jadhav did not get to bat in either of 3 ODIs that he played

Kedar Jadhav may be a highly talented player with a great domestic record but his inclusion in the Indian team for the New Zealand ODIs is surprising taking into account the selectors’ approach towards him.

When Jadhav had been picked for the 2015 tour of Zimbabwe, he struck his maiden ODI century in just his 4^th match.

However, for no apparent reason, the Maharashtra batsman was dropped from the Indian squad for the following series. Almost a year later, Kedar Jadhav was called up once again for another Indian tour to Zimbabwe but didn’t get a chance to bat throughout the ODI series and managed a fifty in the T20Is.

This time, though, he gets a second chance, that too in a series against one of the top one-day sides in world cricket, New Zealand.

#2 Amit Mishra

Amit Mishra has been in and out of the team quite frequently in limited-overs cricket

Amit Mishra is another Indian cricketer that the national selectors just cannot seem to decide upon, particularly in limited-overs cricket. The experienced leg-spinner has done well on almost every occasion that he is included in the ODI team or even in the T20Is, for that matter.

However, the selectors have hardly ever been convinced that he must be given an extended run. After doing well in India’s tour of Zimbabwe in 2015, Mishra was added to the team for the ODI series against the visiting South African side around 12 months back and he bowled very decently in a batsman-dominated series.

It was not enough, though, and Amit Mishra was dropped from the team that went to Australia in early 2016. He was not even considered for the Zimbabwean tour this time around but has suddenly found favour to be chosen for the home series against New Zealand, which comes as quite a surprise.

#1 Suresh Raina

Suresh Raina has managed to find his way back into the Indian team

Suresh Raina has been one of India’s finest limited-overs batsmen in the past decade or so and has won the team many laurels with some terrific performances. The left-hander is particularly known for his prowess in the 50-over game, a format in which he has scored over 5000 runs.

Raina’s ODI career received a big jolt last year when he lost his place in the team following a string of poor performances in the 5-match home series against South Africa. The Uttar Pradesh cricketer continued to be part of the Indian T20I team but was not considered for the ODI series against Australia in January this year.

He also did not feature in either of the limited-overs Indian teams during the tour to Zimbabwe. So it is definitely a surprise, albeit a pleasant one, that Suresh Raina has been included in the squad for the ODI series against New Zealand.