Dhawan, Karthik in squad for series against Kiwis
INDIA SQUAD
In a season of home series, India wrapped up yet another assignment, sharing the T20 series with Australia after a wet outfield scuppered chances of the decider being played in Hyderabad on Friday.
The hosts didn’t dominate like they did in the ODIs as the 1-1 results suggests, but can take heart from how a young bowling attack held its own in the first game in Ranchi. Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar all got wickets as Australia were restricted to less than 120, sealing an easy win.
India will continue to play at home till the year-end with New Zealand their next opponents, in a three-match ODI series starting on October 22.
The New Zealand squad to face India, will have six players from the ‘A’ team currently playing India ‘A’, an incentive for the fringe players.
The Indian selectors have also started a process of rotation since the Sri Lanka limited-overs series in
August-September. And the squad selected for the series against New Zealand indicates that is likely to continue.
Shikhar Dhawan, who missed the Australia ODI series to attend to his ailing wife, is back while Dinesh Karthik also returns. The 32-year-old was an injury replacement in the ICC Champions Trophy – he did not get a game – and played two matches in the Caribbean tour that followed. But he was not in the squad in Sri Lanka or against Australia.
Seniors like Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja made way for wrist spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav, who have been retained to face the Kiwis.
Pacers Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav have also not been included.
Among the fringe players, Mumbai pacer Shardul Thakur, who made his ODI debut in Sri Lanka, has been recalled. Wicketkeeperbatsman Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer have both been in the India A side for a while now, but Virat Kohli (Captain),
Rohit Sharma (vice-captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shardul Thakur. have not been given a chance. The current Indian line-up looks settled, but several questions lurk in the backdrop.
HYDERABAD: THE INDIAN SELECTORS HAVE ALSO STARTED A PROCESS OF ROTATION SINCE THE SRI LANKA LIMITEDOVERS SERIES IN AUGUSTSEPTEMBER
MSD’S REPLACEMENT Like, who is the No 1 injury back-up for MS Dhoni? Are more options needed in the middle order, which has been inconsistent?
These are questions that need to be answered in the build-up to the 2019 World Cup.
With India touring for most of the next year starting with the South Africa tour in January, the selectors are likely to opt for an experienced side.
That now leaves only the Sri Lanka series, beginning with a Test from November 16, as an opportunity for the selectors to bring in fresh faces.