India’s Youngsters Take Center Stage as BCCI Unveils ODI Squad
The BCCI has disclosed the senior Indian men’s team squad, and it appears that they have made some uncanny decisions. The ODI team will be led by KL Rahul, and there is no place for Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja in the ODI team.
The World Cup 2023 loss wasn’t an easy one to digest, especially because the Indian cricket team played phenomenal cricket throughout the tournament, winning all 10 matches. However, the biggest knockout came with a different challenge for the team.
It was expected that some harsh decisions would be made. Most of India’s World Cup best performers were senior players, but now it appears that the management is looking ahead to building a new team with full of youngsters because it is nearly impossible for Indian fans to see Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja playing in the 2027 cricket world cup.
Hence, the build-up starts now. Interestingly, Suryakumar Yadav has also been given a break for ODIs so he can be more focused on T20Is, which is his stronger side. Clearly, the attempt to make Suryakumar a reliable finisher in ODIs didn’t pay off well.
An ODI Series Will be a Test for India
Some players might see the South Africa tour as a make-or-break situation, but that shouldn’t be the case. In the last few months, South Africa has played incredible cricket at home. The youngsters have been trusted, so they should be backed.
At the moment, the management is looking quite eager to make changes. The return of Sanju Samson is good news for his supporters, but again, will they persist with him for a long period?
Barring Deepak Chahar and KL Rahul, all other chosen players in the 15-member squad are under the age of 30. It tells us that the BCCI has long-term planning in their hindsight. In the last few years, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were the two most reliable batters for India.
From both leadership and batting points of view, the pair of Rohit and Kohli did an incredible job. Their approach was quite different, a blend of aggression and mature cautiousness. They held together the entire team with their experience and performance on the biggest stage.
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A new team might look for a new way of playing. KL is a good leader as he has experience leading a side both in international cricket and in the IPL. However, it remains to be seen if all these changes are performance-oriented or potential-oriented.
Most of these names have done an incredible job for their respective domestic sides. They have picked the best of the best, but they are yet to gain some decent experience under their belt.
If the BCCI has really moved on from its senior players, then they should be persistent with the new talents. The previous great Indian team was made from this style of backing players until they adapted to their roles. Knowing how many of them are match winners, if they do adapt to their roles in the next two years, this team will have the potential to eclipse the previous ones.
