IND vs ENG: India has been a great side when it comes to ODIs, from being the no.1 ODI side over a period of time and reaching the World Cup finals, they have achieved it all in recent years.
However, now India has moved from the hands of legendary Rahul Dravid to new Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir who has been much anticipated for the role after his title triumph with IPL franchise KKR.
India is currently playing its first ODI series under Gautam Gambhir and he has also called up all greats of the Indian team to feature for the Men in Blue. However, for the first time in many years, India has underperformed in the format especially against Sri Lanka, as they have had an exceptional record against the neighbouring nation.
India will play only the English side before the Champions Trophy in the longer format of white-ball cricket. The series is to be held in India from the 6th of February 2025, this will be India’s last chance to test their players in the longer format before they pick their team for the Champions Trophy.
With no one other than skipper Rohit Sharma scoring many runs in the series, India will likely bring some of their key players or even youngsters to the ODI squad to revive India’s great form.
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3 Players whom Gambhir should stop neglecting and include in the ODI squad
3. Ruturaj Gaikwad
The Mumbai skipper for all domestic seasons should be now finally given a breakthrough in the ODI format as well. The batter has produced special innings for the Indians in the T20 games, however, he was not included in the recent series.
Gaikwad can be India’s best solution to the middle-order issues, as the batter often enjoys great flexibility with his batting role. The batter can handle spin really well and is a great striker once he sets his eyes on the ball. This makes him one of the finest choices who must be picked for the Indian side in ODIs.
2. Yashasvi Jaiswal
The youngster has been India’s star in the shortest format of the game alongside his stunning performance in the longest format of the game as well. Jaiswal is India’s best batter in the two formats and is the only batsman to feature among the top 10 in both lists.
Despite his brilliance, it seems surprising how has he been not picked for the ODIs, even after Gill has had the most unconvincing form since the Cricket World Cup 2023 in the format. However, now the left-handed batter should be picked to open alongside skipper Rohit Sharma, as the two batters attacking mindset will set a different tempo for India in the powerplay overs.
1. Hardik Pandya
Pandya was not picked for the ODI series on the behest of his request. However, the BCCI must strictly ask the all-rounder to make himself available for ODIs, especially with the Champions Trophy in sight.
Pandya not playing the 50-over format series has been a big void for the Indian team, as Shivam Dube has been miserable in the format. This is proclaimed that Dube for sure is not ideal to be picked in place of the veteran Indian all-rounder.
Pandya’s availability will be a relief for the Indian side down the order, as Hardik at no.6 and Axar Patel at no.7 will be a reliable pair whom India can trust to give them a consolidated partnership towards the end of the innings.
