India vs New Zealand 2017: 5 things we learnt from India's squad announcement

Last night, the Indian selectors announced the 15-member squad that will take on New Zealand in a three-match ODI series that starts in Mumbai on October 22.

Batsman KL Rahul, pacers Mohammad Shami and Umesh Yadav were excluded from the squad while wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik and pacer Shardul Thakur made the cut.

Indian ODI squad to face New Zealand: Virat Kohli (C), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzi Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shardul Thakur.

Let us take a look at the five things we learnt from India's squad announcement for the New Zealand series.

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#5 KL Rahul is an opener

One of the most surprising decisions from the squad for the ODI series against New Zealand is the exclusion of batsman KL Rahul. After scoring 196 runs in his first three innings in the format, the Karnataka batsman managed to score just 52 runs in the next six innings and one of the main reasons for his failure is that he was not given a proper role in the ODI side, like he was given in the Test side.

When the squad for the ODI series against Sri Lanka was announced, chief selector MSK Prasad pointed out that Rahul will be tried at number 4 as it is one area the team has been struggling to fix. In the series against Sri Lanka, he played just three innings, out of which he batted at no. 3 once and at no. 4 on two occasions.

Soon after, Manish Pandey was preferred over Rahul and the latter was not given a single chance in the series against Australia before he was dropped for the series against the Kiwis.

Talking about Rahul's exclusion, a BCCI official told ESPNcricinfo, "Karthik's inclusion is a reward for the runs he has been scoring. There is no particular reason [behind Rahul's omission] because Ajinkya [Rahane] has done well as an opener. He (Rahul) will play Board President's XI or the Ranji Trophy. What's the point in him just being in the squad and not playing? We will see how it goes [as far as his batting position is concerned]. Because, as of now, this is the best combination."

Does this mean that Rahul was in the ODI team as a reserve opener and made way for Shikhar Dhawan when the left-hander returned? The official's statement says so.

#4 End of the road for Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina?

Two of the most anticipated things among the fans, before the selectors sit down to pick an Indian limited-overs side, are the inclusion of out-of-favour batsmen Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina.

Raina last played for India in an ODI in 2015 while Yuvraj's last match for the men in Blue came against West Indies earlier this year. Ever since making a comeback to the Indian side in January, Yuvraj has been decent, as he scored a match-winning 150 against England and followed it up with a fifty against Pakistan in the ICC Champions Trophy.

But, the dashing southpaw has been out of the Indian team for a while as he failed to pass the fitness test, something that is the reason behind Raina's exclusion as well. Both the batsmen have been giving the Yo-Yo Test quite regularly and are struggling to come out in flying colours. At the same time, they are not making a case for themselves with the bat.

Fitness or form, one thing is certain- Yuvraj and Raina's ODI journey has been halted, at least for a while.

#3 R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja not in the scheme of things in ODIs

Yet another surprise in the Indian squad is the non-inclusion of spin twins R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. Both the spinners were not included in the Indian squad for the ODI and T20I series against Sri Lanka as they were given some rest by the selectors. In the meantime, Ashwin flew to the United Kingdom to play County cricket while Jadeja was refreshing himself for a new season that was ahead of himself.

When Axar Patel was injured ahead of the first ODI against Australia, Jadeja was called up as a replacement but the Saurashtra all-rounder didn't get a single chance to prove himself before he was dropped for the last two matches.

In the absence of both these bowlers, wrist spinners Yuzi Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav, along with Axar Patel, have made a strong case for themselves. With the form of Ashwin and Jadeja going downhill since the 2015 World Cup and the performances of the current trio, it is quite evident that both Ashwin and Jadeja could be asked to concentrate only on Tests and are not in the scheme of things in ODIs anymore.

#2 Last chance for Manish Pandey

Ever since scoring a match-winning 104* against Australia in Sydney in January 2016, Manish Pandey has failed to live up to the expectations on most occasions. He failed in the series against New Zealand in 2016 and was dropped from the Indian squad for the England series in 2017.

He was picked in the squad for the Champions Trophy before he got injured and was forced to miss the tournament and the subsequent West Indies tour. After being recalled into the side for the Sri Lanka series, Manish scored an unbeaten fifty in the fourth ODI and followed it up with a crucial 30-odd in the fifth ODI before scoring a match-winning fifty in the lone T20I.

With this, he retained his place in the side for the Australia series in which he registered scores of 0, 3, 36*, 33 and 11 in the five ODIs. With Manish being inconsistent and the likes of Dinesh Karthik and Shreyas Iyer knocking the door, a failure in the series against the Kiwis could see the Karnataka batsman out of the Indian ODI side for a while.

#1 Do well in domestic cricket, play for India. Is that the reality?

The selectors have honoured Dinesh Karthik's performances in the Indian domestic circuit and given him yet another lifeline by including him in the Indian side for the New Zealand series.

Along with Karthik, Shardul Thakur has been given yet another opportunity to prove himself in International cricket. With the inclusion of these two in the Indian squad, the selectors have sent out a message to the fringe players that if you perform well in the domestic circuit, you will be rewarded with a place in the Indian side.

But, not everyone who does well in the Indian circuit is getting a place in the national team. Shreyas Iyer, who has been performing consistently across all the formats over the last three years. The Mumbai batsman has been in stunning form in List A cricket in the last two months and still, doesn't get a chance to showcase his skills at the International level. The same goes with Karn Sharma, who is in the form of his life.

What do these cricketers need to get a national call-up?