The India cricket team’s unsettled squad has raised questions ahead of the Asia Cup 2023. Despite winning the series against the West Indies 2-1, the batting order and bowling combinations remain unsettled due to too many experiments. With the tournament just a month away, it’s a cause for concern for head coach Rahul Dravid and captain Rohit Sharma.
The three ODIs against the West Indies were supposed to be opportunities to finalize the squad’s combinations. However, due to workload management and injuries, the Indian cricket team adopted a bizarre strategy. Rohit Sharma, who will be leading the team in the Asia Cup, played just five balls in the IND vs WI ODI series. On the other hand, Virat Kohli, one of the team’s key players, has had no ODI practice at all.
To make matters more bewildering, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Jaydev Unadkat, who are not even in the plans for the Asia Cup or the World Cup 2023, were given a chance to play an ODI after ten months and ten years, respectively. While Rahul Dravid, Rohit Sharma, and Ravindra Jadeja have supported these experiments, it raises more questions than answers.
The squad’s unsettled status is a concern with just a month left until the Asia Cup 2023 and no more ODIs scheduled ahead of the tournament. Was it worth it to experiment so much? Rahul Dravid defended the decision, stating that it was the team’s last chance to try out some players due to several injuries and time constraints leading up to the Asia Cup and World Cup. He emphasized the importance of providing game time to other players in case they are needed in crucial situations.
However, critics argue that this approach comes at a cost. For instance, Shubman Gill will get more practice as he will also be part of the IND vs WI T20 series. Ishan Kishan has performed well, but there are questions about why he continues to open instead of being given a chance in the middle-order, where he could potentially make a greater impact.
With Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli rested for the 2nd and 3rd ODIs, Sanju Samson was given the opportunity to bat at No. 3 and No. 4. However, if he manages to score a career-saving fifty, his batting position is likely to be at No. 5 or No. 6. This raises the question of why he wasn’t played in those positions in the first place.
Furthermore, some key players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will head to the Asia Cup with minimal match practice. Ravindra Jadeja is a certainty in the squad, but his cover, Axar Patel, only bowled two overs and faced eight balls at No. 4. Yuzvendra Chahal, the backup leg-spinner, has not played any ODIs, and the same goes for Mohammad Shami, who is likely to be part of the pace battery. Jasprit Bumrah, who spent over a year out with injury, will only have 12 overs to bowl. Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul will go to Sri Lanka without any game time.
Despite the promise of squad depth and the confidence expressed by Hardik Pandya in 2021, stating that India could field two more teams and win any competition in the world, the team has struggled to fill in gaps caused by the absence of players like Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah. This raises doubts about the effectiveness of the team’s experimental strategies.
Rahul Dravid himself emphasized the importance of squad depth when he took over as head coach in November 2021. However, the team’s experiments have yielded limited results, leaving fans and experts uncertain about the team’s readiness for upcoming tournaments.
In conclusion, the India cricket team’s unsettled squad raises concerns ahead of the Asia Cup 2023. The team’s experiments have left key players with limited match practice and failed to provide clarity on the batting order and bowling combinations. While some argue in favor of these experiments, questions continue to arise about the effectiveness and cost of such strategies. With just a month remaining until the tournament, the squad’s unsettled status leaves Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma with much to ponder.
