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India trounced a weak, hapless Windies test team to win their tenth consecutive test series at home.
It’s an achievement Virat Kohli and his boys would certainly be proud of. But also one must have a look at the quality of the oppositions they were up against in the course of the ten series played.
India put on a complete team performance, the standout performances came from debutant Prithvi Shaw who won the man of the series award for the runs he scored and Umesh Yadav who got his maiden ten-wicket haul at Hyderabad.
The series moves to formats that will suit the visitors much more- ODI’s and T20I’s. They still don’t have a full-strength squad at least for the ODI’s but still are well equipped to give India a good fight.
India, on the other hand, will be buoyant after their Asia Cup title defence, the return of their skipper Virat Kohli and the fact that they are playing on familiar conditions.
They will most definitely be favourites to defeat the Windies on their home turf.
But Team India are not without problems of their own. With time running out before the World Cup, there are still lot of issues that needs to be resolved.
Their team combination still needs to be firmed up and as it’s been for some time now the No.4 slot in the batting order is still up for grabs.
Keeping these factors in mind here is a look at five Indian players for whom this ODI series against Windies is extremely crucial keeping the World Cup in mind:
#5 Umesh Yadav
They say someone’s loss is another person’s gain. Umesh Yadav has been in and out of the ODI team for India in recent times. He was last seen donning the blue jersey against England in July 2018.
A slew of fantastic, consistent performances in the test series against the Windies convinced the selectors to pick him for the ODI series. A groin injury sustained by Shradul Thakur meant that Umesh Yadav could get a look in.
The speedster who can trouble batsmen with some unexpected pace and bounce will look to get a string of games so that he can cement his place in the ODI team.
With the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar rested for this series, it gives Umesh the perfect opportunity to spearhead the pace bowling attack.
He will know that there is stiff competition for spots in the World Cup squad. The speedster with 105 wickets from 73 matches will look to push his name ahead of the likes of Shradul Thakur and Khaleel Ahmed for a place in India’s squad for the World Cup, 2019.
#4 KL Rahul
KL Rahul has been extremely under played in ODI’s for India in recent times. He has had some low scores in the longest format of the game but has been sparingly used by India in ODIs.
A batsman like him who possesses the technique and temperament to hold and control an innings should have been the No.1 choice to make the No. 4 position in ODIs his own. As he is very much capable of rotating the strike against the spinners and can bat for long periods.
But the Indian management has tried various players like MS Dhoni, Dinesh Karthik, Ambati Rayudu, Manish Pandey and KL Rahul to solve their issue with the number 4 position, but nothing seems to have worked thus far.
The main question to be asked is if KL Rahul is in the side only as an alternate/back up opener for Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan? If yes, that explains why he has been given so less opportunities in recent times.
But if they are looking at him as an option to solve the No. 4 position problem, then he must be given the confidence and backing to play all of India’s remaining ODI’s prior to the World Cup, 2019 in that position.
Only if he knows that his captain and team management expect him to make that position his own, can he mentally be equipped for the challenge.
Prithvi Shaw is likely to be tried as an opener in the Windies series. So, keeping that in mind, India must be firm and give KL Rahul the opportunity to play at the crucial No. 4 position uninterrupted. One mustn’t forget what he brings to the table- IPL 2018 is a classic example.
#3 Rishabh Pant
Rishabh Pant burst into the scene with his explosive, attacking batting in IPL 2018 where he scored a mammoth 684 runs in 14 games an amazing average of 52.61 at an unbelievable strike rate of 173.60.
His tournament was laced with him scoring the fifth highest score in IPL history (128 off 63 against Sunrisers Hyderabad).
His fantastic performances in IPL 2018 meant that he got selected into India’s test squad as a backup wicket-keeper to Dinesh Karthik on their tour of England. After two poor performances, DK was ousted, and Rishabh Pant made his international debut.
The 20-year-old youngster had a very challenging and learning experience as far wicket-keeping goes in the tricky, swinging conditions on offer in England.
And he had a decent series with the bat that allowed to become India’s No. 1 choice for the test team wicket-keeper ahead of Dinesh Karthik.
His recent form with the bat against the Windies in the test series has earned him a maiden call-up to the ODI team.
The question is with India’s unwillingness to let go of a waning MSD, will Rishabh Pant even play against the Windies?
On home conditions against a relatively inexperienced Windies bowling line up, Rishabh Pant should find it easy to make an impression and help him secure a spot for the World Cup.
But irrespective of whether he plays or how many games he gets ahead of the World Cup, he must make it count as he knows that DK is breathing down his neck.
A couple of impressive performances with the bat and wicket-keeping gloves can get him into the World Cup squad.
#2 Ravindra Jadeja
For almost two years, Ravindra Jadeja went out of favour when it came to selection for the ODI and T20I teams for India.
Many termed him and Ravichandran Ashwin as Test match specialists who would never play for India again in ODI’s or T20I’s.
Ravindra Jadeja on his part hadn’t set the domestic stage on fire while he was out of the ODI and T20I team.
His experience and all-round abilities, coupled with the fact that Axar Patel got injured prior to the Asia Cup, 2018 meant ‘Sir’ Ravindra Jadeja made his comeback into the ODI team.
And he certainly made an impression on getting selected for the ODI team. His bowling and fielding was rather impressive in India’s Asia Cup title defence in the UAE.
And now with renewed confidence post getting his maiden test century, he would be raring to go.
With Hardik Pandya likely to miss out the full limited overs wing of the Windies series, Ravindra Jadeja will get five ODIs and three T20Is to cement his place in India’s ODI team.
Ravindra Jadeja is certainly among the best fielders in India, so in the absence of Hardik Pandya, he will be looking at delivering with the bat and ball against the Windies.
Ravindra Jadeja’s stats in ODI’s and T20I’s don’t look too bad- 162 wickets in 140 ODI’s at an average of 35.3 and a batting average of 31.1 having scored 1962 runs.
In T20I’s he has 31 wickets in 40 games along with scoring 116 runs at a decent strike rate of 93.7.
#1 MS Dhoni
MS Dhoni is undoubtedly the most talked about Indian cricketer after a certain Virat Kohli. A man who has captained India to three ICC trophies currently is living on his past laurels.
A captain and player who was known to shepherd and nurture young talent is not willing to let go and give youngsters an opportunity.
It is well known that MS Dhoni the batsmen has lost the ability to finish games as he used to earlier.
He bought back his hitting best in IPL 2018 but post that for India, he has looked far from the MSD the world of cricket has seen or is used to seeing.
He is taking far too many deliveries to get in, has been shuffled in the batting order with minimal results. In 2018, he has scored a meagre 225 runs in 15 games without a single fifty a shabby strike rate of 67.37.
Without a doubt, India’s premier wicket-keeper would have to be MSD even now and Virat Kohli uses MSD’s strategic thinking and abilities very well. With the World Cup coming up soon, it won’t be feasible to leave out MSD from the team now.
India and MSD know how crucial this series against the Windies will be in reinstalling confidence and to get him back into good batting form.
There is no doubting MSD’s contribution to Indian cricket but currently keeping his recent performances in mind, the Indian team management should be brave enough to contemplate dropping MSD from their team.
MSD like former great Sachin Tendulkar is an icon and it’s not going to be easy for him to step away from the game.
The World Cup in 2019 will be a good way for someone who has achieved a lot as an individual and as a captain to bow out on a high.
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