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It was a mutual decision to rest skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for the opening two ODIs versus Australia, stated India head coach Rahul Dravid. The three-match series kicks off on Friday at the PCA Stadium in Mohali.
As India’s 15-man squad was announced on Monday night, the cricket fraternity went into a frenzy claiming that the senior players are given unnecessary breaks. Quashing the din, the Indian cricket chief explained that the intent was to keep them mentally fresh for the upcoming ODI World Cup.
“With people like Virat and Rohit specifically, from our perspective, it’s really important that we get them to that first game of the World Cup, physically and mentally in the space that they want to be in. At this level, with the amount of cricket that they’ve played, they know how they need to prepare themselves. A lot of these decisions are made in discussion in them – all our players, not only the two of them. But certainly, the senior and the more experienced guys kind of have their routines and know what they need to do to get into that first game just in the right frame of mind.
“We discuss with them on how best they’d like to prepare in the lead-up to big events like the World Cup. And we came up with mutual decisions on deciding that these two games were good for them to take off, just to refresh mentally more than anything else. And then come back in Rajkot and then it’s going to be a tough couple of months ahead for us,” Rahul Dravid told reporters in the pre-series press conference.
From India's playing XI that played the Asia Cup final, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya and Kuldeep Yadav have been given off for the opening two matches. All of them, however, will return for the third ODI in Rajkot. All-rounder Axar Patel has missed out due to a left quadriceps strain.
With game time being the primary agenda, the likes of Suryakumar Yadav and Shreyas Iyer would want to get among runs and have their confidence boosted. While Shreyas missed the majority of Asia Cup 2023 with back spasms, Surya’s dismal ODI record has continued to draw intense wrath from fans.
When asked if the 33-year-old needs to worry about the ICC deadline for locking World Cup squads, the Indian legend threw his weight behind him. He further made it clear that the top-ranked T20 batter would definitely start the first two ODIs and he would be deployed at No. 6.
“Firstly, I don’t think he needs to worry about the 27th. We have picked our team for the World Cup and Surya is in it. We made that decision to do that and we completely back him. We back him because he’s got a certain ability that we’ve seen. Yes I know we’ve seen it at the moment in T20 cricket, but we know the kind of impact a player like him can make batting at six. He can change the course of a game.
“So there’s totally clarity on the fact that we’re completely behind him. And we know that, hopefully, he’ll be able to turn it around. And he’s someone who is going to get these three games – at least the first couple certainly – to be able to develop and keep growing on his journey as a one-day cricketer,” Dravid reiterated.
Surya’s solitary game at the Asia Cup came in a losing cause against Bangladesh, in which he scored 26 off 34 balls.
"Ishan Kishan has been picked as someone who can do both roles" - Rahul Dravid
With regular opener Rohit Sharma missing, Ishan Kishan is likely to partner Shubman Gill at the top of the order. The duo knocked off the embarrassing 51-run target versus Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup final.
Rahul Dravid, though, spoke of the need to field players at positions they might be needed come the World Cup. India can also avail the services of Ruturaj Gaikwad, who will also be leading the country at Asian Games 2023.
“The idea is to give them all game time, to try and bat them also in positions we think they might be playing in at the World Cup. Of course we can’t bat everyone in exactly the same positions; two or three of them are probably going to get into the final XI of the World Cup. With someone like Ishan, he’s been picked as someone who can do both roles. He’s done the middle-order role for us, but he’s that spare batter in the team who can bat up the order as well. So he gives that flexibility, apart from the fact that he’s a wicketkeeper,” Dravid explained.
India’s squad for 1st & 2nd ODIs: KL Rahul (c & wk), Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammad Shami, Tilak Varma, Prasidh Krishna, Ravichandran Ashwin, Washington Sundar
India’s squad for 3rd ODI: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammad Shami, Hardik Pandya, Virat Kohli, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel (subject to fitness), Washington Sundar, Ravichandran Ashwin.
