What’s next for the Indian ODI team?

tragic loss in Third day trip from Cape Town Not only did it kick off the forgetful trip to South Africa, but it also highlighted the long-term issues holding back the Indian ODI team. Gone are the days of dominance in the 2018-19 season, and the time for transition is here.

Since the start of 2020, India has now won just seven games and lost 11 of 18 ODIs. India’s ODI outfit suffered a 3-0 series whitewash in New Zealand and South Africa and was beaten 2-1 in Australia. A stark contrast to the 2018-19 season when they won their respective series in those countries.

Although I don’t play ODI very often Premier League Days certainly played a role in this downward curve, while losses exposed India’s soft spots and areas where they must improve.

Still, it’s not all doom and gloom, as the team certainly has the potential and depth to go all out to regain the magic of winning and enter the 2023 World Cup as favourites. These are also partially featured in the 3-0 series of paints in South Africa.

Here’s a list of flaws, areas of focus, and a big positive for Indian ODI gear to progress from this tour.

ODI Teams in India: Gains and Concerns

1. Shikhar Dhawan still has a lot of crickets

Since the 2019 World Cup in India, in the ODI series against South Africa, Shikhar Dhawan has averaged 52.09 runs and 92.04 hits per game. However, if there’s one player whose position has come under the most scrutiny, it’s him. The emergence of his age and youth options has sparked these misplaced debates. Dhawan’s struggles in Delhi’s Vijay Hazare trophy didn’t help either.

In this case, Dhawan, whose career in India has been reduced to an ODI specialist, needs to be properly reminded of his class and strength. Also, lefties do very well. In those three games, Dhawan scored 79 of 84 points, 29 of 38 and 61 of 73.

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On the tricky, slow uneven surfaces of Parr and Cape Town, Dhawan played the aggressor at the top and looked India’s smoothest batsman at the crease. The 36-year-old did an excellent job of keeping his critics quiet and naysayers away to remind him of his value to the Indian ODI team.

2. KL Rahul, backup opener?No

Rahul’s return to the top spot was one of India’s notable moves ahead of the series. After solidifying his place in the mid lane since the start of 2020, backup captain Rahul has decided to return to mid lane in the absence of Rohit Sharma. This is partly to take on more responsibility, anchor the number of innings, and partly to avoid having one of Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer come off the bench.

But despite Rahul’s efforts to get his job done seriously, there is a sense that in doing so, he is limiting his wings and not reaching his full potential. Rahul scored 12 and 9 in the second ODI, both sides of a slow but important 55. Rahul is clearly trying to de-risk, but has he gone too far at times, especially when South Africa use their part-time Aiden Markram?

From a neutral standpoint, he does seem to be at his best when he doesn’t have to think too much at the 5 and is pushed into corners where he is forced to attack. It unleashed the beast within him. So for the team, it would be best for the moment Rohit recovers and Rahul go back to mid-level duties.

3. Rishabh Pant 4 years old?A dynamic idea worth patience

One felt like pulling his hair out as Pant danced around the track when his team had just lost a wicket and were 2 behind in the 0-series. The dismissal sparked an angry reaction from fans and the media.

But that is the worst Rishabh Pant. However, at his best, even in the role of the aggressor, Pant would choose the wiser. It was shown in Pal’s second ODI when he looked to use both Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi in the spin, finishing with a stunning 85 in 71.

Management seems to have a clear push for 4-year-old Pant, now led by Rahul Dravid, who wants to see this strategy come to fruition and deliver the results the team wants. The idea seems simple: let Pant attack, destroy the opposition’s plans and grounds, and keep India at the desired pace or cycle towards the desired score. To achieve his success, Dravid and the selectors have two solid anchors in 3-year-old Virat and 5-year-old Rahul (sometimes Iyer) who act as insurers, allowing him to play with maximum freedom.

Planned in this way, what Dravid & co needed to do was keep Pant playing nonstop at the 4-point game – something the previous management lacked patience and conviction for most of their mid-tier options – so he The better you get used to it, the better they can assess his success.

4. India misses Hardik and Jadeja

India badly missed out on the insurance and utility provided by all-rounders Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja in 6th and 7th. At their best, the duo will help India complete their fifth bowler quota between them, while also hitting the batsman’s order.

But in their absence, India had to play Shardul Thakur and Deepak Chahar in seventh place in the series. While Thakur and Deepak both reinforced their commitments with bats in Pal and Cape Town, the absence of India’s regular all-rounder has had a negative impact on the team’s approach.

India is thrown into disequilibrium, in a thorny mess. Venkatesh Iyer never looked like a No. 6. 7-year-old batsman Thakur forced India’s top 5 players to put off taking risks, but bowler Thakur, with his expensive streak, forced them to take more risks. This has led to indecision in India’s batting, with their bowling lacking depth, quality and clarity. They trailed by 297 points in the opening game by 31 points but failed to defend 288 points. Thakur data? 0/72 closes 10 and 1/35 closes 5.

India didn’t have this tricky mess when Hardik and Jadeja were there, and they had a normal sense of how the bat was handled. Dravid also mentioned the absence in his post-match press conference in Cape Town, where he is desperate to get his two all-rounders back.

Stick with it, while Thakur and Deepak both have clear hitting potential, they can’t be considered your No. 7. And, at a time when the team’s bowling team is struggling, it’s also a big risk to set their bats at 8 and not be sure if they’re a 10-man bank.

5. Missing teeth in spinning in India

The days of ‘Kulcha’ running on the sidelines are long gone, as India’s spinning ability is completely gone in this series. India have never taken a wicket in midfield as they relied on Ravi Chandran Ashwin and Yuzvindra Chahar.

While Ashwin’s ODI return seems destined to be a short-lived experiment – given the anti-finger spin rules and regulations in ODI – Chahal’s career has also been on a downward curve since his and Kuldeep’s variants were discovered.

This is one of India’s biggest concerns as they may not be able to afford to keep losing to their opponents from 11th to 40th as it puts serious death pressure on their fast bowlers.

With no obvious solution in sight at the moment, it seems likely that India will stick with Chahar and Ashwin to see how they respond. But in the long run, the think tank may just need to spread the wrist network more widely, with the likes of Rahul Chahar, Ravi Bishnoi and others as potential backups.

6. The end of Bouvet Road? What is the way forward for alternate fast bowling?

The India-England ODI series in March last year easily surpassed 300 points on the flat pitch in Pune, either by batting first or chasing the ball. India are short of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami, their wrist spinners are struggling with control and wicket, and they have a bunch of inconsistent back-up seamers.

However, they won 2-1 against the most explosive long hitter in the world. reason? Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who was the only bowler for both sides to run less than five overs, was averaging 22.50 for six wickets.

That was Bhuvneshwar’s best form, he operated like a champion bowler and almost single-handedly won the India series. In stark contrast, in the ODI against South Africa, he struggled with any form of control, with a marked drop in fitness and speed. The numbers 0/64 and 0/67 may not be that much of an issue for managers and selectors. But worryingly, Buffneshwar didn’t seem to push the batsmen back at any stage of the two games, leaving them rushed and indecisive at the crease.

The new ball stopped swinging in the ODI for a while, with Bhuvneshwar’s lack of speed and declining health holding him back. Since the start of 2020, he has an average of 42.55 and an economy of 5.80.

The decline of Bhuvneshwar and doubts about Shami’s ability to become a full-time bowler have led India to call for the field to be opened up and a new batch of backup walkers to audition, pairing Bumrah for the long term. Team management has tried out a promising enforcer in Krishna, a new swing bowler in Deepak, and has also added Mohammed Siraj. ) into their plans. Avesh Khan also has a case.

This year’s upcoming series of matches present a good opportunity for India to test their fast bowling depth and present the likes of Krishna or Siraj as potential long-term replacements for Bouwi. In an ideal squad, considering the home World Cup, India would have two all-rounders, two wickets and two fast bowlers, including Bumrah, at age 6 and 7.

India need a striker who can not only improve their wicket threat in power games but also carry Bumrah’s load in the closing games. Given their level of control, consistency, and skill at this stage of development, Siraj looks more likely than Krishna and Deepak to be a full-time second-tier player.