Team India’s priorities will quickly shift to the 2023 ODI World Cup after the ongoing T20 World Cup. The mega-event will be held in India next year. Hence, the hosts will be under pressure to do well. The preparation will surely be intense for the competition. While India already has a good core, with still a year to go for the competition, we could expect some drastic changes. BCCI recently announced the Indian squads for the New Zealand and Bangladesh ODI assignments. It was an interesting selection because most players did not get their chance in both tournaments. However, the pattern has hinted at India’s plans for the event. On that note, here, we take a look at four players India might be grooming for the 2023 ODI World Cup based on recent squad selections.
Squad for Bangladesh ODIs:
AdvertisementRohit Sharma (C), KL Rahul (vc), Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Shreyas Iyer, Rahul Tripathi, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, W Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Deepak Chahar, Yash Dayal
— BCCI (@BCCI) October 31, 2022
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1) Washington Sundar
Washington Sundar has been an injury-prone cricketer for a while now. Although he made his ODI debut in 2017, it has been five years and Sundar has played only 6 ODIs. However, it appears now that the selectors want him to be a permanent part of the XI.
A quality right-arm offie is a must in any team. After R Ashwin, Sundar is the best option in India right now. The youngster is also a decent batter and if he can improve on those skills, he will be a fine all-rounder for the team. However, at the moment, his main focus will be on his fitness, which has been disappointing in recent months.
2) Rajat Patidar
Rajat Patidar is one of the players India might be grooming for the 2023 ODI World Cup based on recent squad selections. The Madhya Pradesh cricketer has been in fine form since his century in IPL 2022 Eliminator. Since then, he has done well in the Ranji Trophy and also while playing for India A.
Patidar is a player who has shown that he can be comfortable against spin. He also has another extra gear in him that allows him to be aggressive. These reasons might have prompted the selectors to have him onboard.
3) Rahul Tripathi
It was actually surprising to see Rahul Tripathi in the ODI squad. The Maharashtra cricketer is known for his skills in the T20 format and has not found a lot of success in the ODIs. However, the management will have a plan for him if he has been included in the ODI squad.
India needs players like Suryakumar Yadav, who can take on the spinners in the middle order. Rahul Tripathi falls in a similar bracket. With the World Cup happening in India, the management might need such players, who are ready and can do the job when called upon. It seems that Tripathi is also on this list.
4) Yash Dayal
Yash Dayal is also one of the players India might be grooming for the 2023 ODI World Cup based on recent squad selections. Barring Arshdeep Singh, India does not have too many left-arm seamers in the bank right now. While T Natarajan has been forgotten, Mohsin Khan is injured. In this context, Yash Dayal has been given his chance.
The Gujarat Titans player has the experience of playing only 14 List A games till now. However, he enjoys a decent average and economy. In IPL 2022, he showed that he can do well in the beginning and also has some variations for the final overs. Therefore, he is a part of the squad against Bangladesh.
