IND vs SA 2022: 3 takeaways from India's ODI squad

The national selectors on Sunday, October 2, announced a 16-member squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against South Africa. With those bound for the T20 World Cup not selected, Shikhar Dhawan will lead the Men in Blue for the third straight ODI series.

Shreyas Iyer was named his deputy while there was a maiden call-up for batter Rajat Patidar of Madhya Pradesh and seamer Mukesh Kumar of Bengal. Leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi, who has represented India in 10 T20Is, also received his maiden call-up to the 50-over setup.

The first ODI will be played in Lucknow on Thursday, October 6, before the caravan moves to Ranchi and then rounds off in the capital city of Delhi. While the hosts won't have the services of several A-listers, including regular skipper Rohit Sharma, the Proteas will be able to call upon a full-strength outfit with crucial World Cup Super League points up for grabs.

On that note, let’s take a look at three key takeaways from India's squad for the upcoming ODI series.

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#1 The T20 World Cup squad seems to be locked in

Deepak Chahar, Shreyas Iyer, and Ravi Bishnoi are part of India's ODI squad to face South Africa this week. The trio, however, are also part of the reserves for the T20 World Cup. Mohammed Siraj, who replaced Jasprit Bumrah in the T20Is for the ongoing series against South Africa, is also in the ODI squad.

The main squad for the T20 World Cup is expected to depart for Australia later this week. Changes can be made up to October 10 but with most of the reserves named in the ODI setup, it points towards the initial set of 15 being retained for the marquee event.

While a cloud remains over Bumrah and Deepak Hooda's fitness, they may just board the flight now from the looks of it.

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#2 Lack of sufficient all-rounders

The Indian squad clearly lacks enough all-rounders, with Bengal's Shahbaz Ahmed being the only exception to it. While Shardul Thakur and Deepak Chahar have batted at No. 7 and 8 before, one reckons they need to be given more time before being dubbed genuine all-rounders.

Both Chahar and Thakur came for a tap in the final ODI in Zimbabwe a couple of months ago and the Men in Blue could well want to add some extra wheels to their attack. The flipside of it is should they choose to bat Shahbaz at No. 7, it leaves them short of a sixth bowling option.

How stand-in skipper Dhawan maneuvers his options around in this regard ought to make for an intriguing observation.

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#3 Still no Prithvi Shaw

This has easily been one of the biggest puzzles in Indian cricket over the last 12 months, if not more. With a batting average of 56.04 and a gargantuan strike rate of 125.19, how Prithvi Shaw struggles to be a regular fixture in the Indian white-ball setup is a mystery.

You could argue that there is no spot for another opener with Dhawan and Shubman Gill likely to open the innings and Ruturaj Gaikwad waiting for his chances. Ishan Kishan can move up the order if required as well. But having ripped bowling attacks for fun in the Duleep Trophy and the second 50-over contest against New Zealand A last week, one would have reckoned his selection was a mere formality.

Quite clearly, despite being a beast in the format in domestic cricket, Shaw isn't up there in the pecking order of the selectors just yet, even for their second-string squad.

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What is your take on India's squad for the ODIs against South Africa? Let us know in the comments below!

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