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India's emphatic win in the ODI series decider on Sunday, July 17, in Manchester against England has answered a lot of questions about their middle-order in the format. But there are still quite a few other areas that the Men in Blue need to focus on.
With the T20 World Cup being the focus this year, quite a few senior players have been rested from the upcoming ODI series against the West Indies. While India will not be at full strength, this will be a good chance for other players to step up and prove their mettle in the one-day format.
These three ODIs will be an opportunity for fringe players like Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson, Arshdeep Singh, etc. to shine. It will also be an acid test for some who haven't quite been at their best of late.
On that note, let's take a look at three such players who might be under pressure going into the ODI series.
#3 Axar Patel
Axar Patel is undoubtedly a top quality bowler in white-ball cricket. However, as the focus shifts from T20s to one-dayers, his batting aspect becomes a bit more important. Ravindra Jadeja has proven to be a quality all-rounder for India and Patel was long tipped to be his successor.
However, the 28-year-old hasn't exactly set the stage ablaze in ODIs. In 38 ODIs, he has scored just 181 runs at a modest average of 12.92. With the ODI World Cup in India next year, the position of the bowling all-rounder becomes even more crucial.
Jadeja, the batter, has been absolutely incredible of late across formats. However, there are still some reservations about his economy rate and wicket-taking ability in white-ball cricket.
With no Hardik Pandya in the side, Patel could get to play alongside Jadeja as an extra bowling option.He will need to make it count with the bat if he wants to remain in the ODI scheme of things.
Even with the ball, the Men in Blue have options like Kuldeep Yadav and Ravi Bishnoi waiting in the wings. Patel will need to be wary of this and make his chances count.
#2 Shikhar Dhawan
Captain Rohit Sharma has been quite vocal about the incredible understanding that exists between him and Shikhar Dhawan when the duo open for India. Over the past nine years, the two have won their country some incredible games and will arguably go down as one of the best ODI opening pairs.
It is quite clear that both Rohit and the team management want Dhawan to open alongside him at the ODI World Cup next year. However, the southpaw's form has been a cause for concern.
Dhawan hasn't really played domestic cricket of late and is nowhere near India's Test or T20I scheme of things. So apart from playing in the IPL, the 36-year-old was away from competitive action and that was evident as he looked rusty against England.
He scored just 41 runs in three ODIs at an appalling strike rate of 49.39 and looked fidgety, especially against the new ball. The team's management and selectors may have no doubts about his place in the ODI team, but India's stand-in captain for the series will need to make some significant scores to stay afloat.
#1 Shreyas Iyer
The last time that Shreyas Iyer batted in an ODI, he scored a fantastic 80 against the West Indies and was the Player of the Match. So having his name on this list might be too harsh on the 27-year-old. But it also has its reasons.
Iyer has a prolific record in ODIs for India, averaging over 41 after 27 games. While Virat Kohli was unfit for the first ODI against England, Iyer slotted in at No.3. However, he was not needed with the bat and was replaced as Kohli was available for the next game.
The fact that the team management backed Suryakumar Yadav over Iyer in ODIs tells a lot about how the latter's issues against short balls have affected their confidence in him. Iyer looks woefully uncomfortable against the short ball, be it red-ball or white-ball cricket.
With a number of senior players rested for the ODI series, this is probably Iyer's best chance to prove his critics wrong. If he fails to do so, he might fall further down the pecking order with the likes of KL Rahul and Deepak Hooda having done well.
