Ruturaj Gaikwad, Jitesh Sharma and Shivam Mavi. (Photo Source: BCCI/IPL)
Changes were expected for the upcoming T20I series against the West Indies. Bold decisions were supposed to strengthen the Indian team under the leadership of new selection committee chief Ajit Agarkar but somewhere down the line, some of the decisions deserve more attention than others.
Continuing with Hardik Pandya as the captain of the T20I side is arguably the right call as all the other senior players are being rested ahead of the ODI World Cup but dropping certain in-form cricketers has created quite a buzz on social media.
Since press conferences do not amount to a lot of information in modern India, thus it is difficult for the fans to understand the reasons behind certain decisions. Back in 2019, MSK Prasad cleared the reason behind dropping Ambati Rayudu from the ODI World Cup squad and even though a large portion of the fans didn’t like it, there at least was clarity.
However, this is missing in Indian cricket at the moment. So, cricket enthusiasts are not quite sure if the likes of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will ever make their return to T20I cricket or why the following five players were not considered for the upcoming T20I series against the West Indies:
5. Jitesh Sharma
Jitesh Sharma Batting. (Photo Source : Twitter)
Jitesh Sharma is arguably one of those batters who ticks all the boxes to feature in a T20I side but unfortunately, there was no place for him in the upcoming tour to West Indies. He has been extremely consistent in this format and on top of that, his keeping skills have been top-notch. Thus, Jitesh was expected to make it to the squad but the selectors instead preferred Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan and rightfully so.
Both Samson and Kishan did reasonably well in the last edition of the Indian Premier League and thus, there’s no concrete reason behind dropping them. However, so did Jitesh. In 14 matches, the Maharashtra-born cricketer hit 309 runs at a brilliant strike rate of 156.06. He fulfilled his role for Punjab Kings and thus, deserved a spot in the squad but the cricketer will instead have to wait to make it.
Notably, the upcoming domestic season and the 17th edition of the IPL will be very important for the cricketer. If he performs on a consistent basis, Jitesh may very well make it to the 2024 T20 World Cup squad as India still lack a consistent power hitter in the middle.
Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja are two brilliant options to have but both have struggled to perform on the biggest stage on a consistent basis and that’s where someone like Jitesh can come in.
4. Shivam Mavi
Shivam Mavi. (Photo Source: Instagram/gujrat_titans)
The curious case of Shivam Mavi questions a fundamental problem of the Indian selection committee. Notably, the cricketer was brought into the T20I set-up out of nowhere and in his very first match, the 24-year-old picked up for wickets and soon, he was hailed as one for the future.
He remained a part of the T20I squad in days to follow but unfortunately missed the first half of the IPL due to injury. After the cricketer gained full fitness, skipper Hardik Pandya didn’t consider him for selection despite Gujarat Titans spending INR 6 crore to sign him. Ahead of IPL 2023, Mavi had revealed that he has developed a new form of delivery and was going to execute it during the IPL but could never try it out.
So, the question is, on what ground did Mavi get dropped? He was a part of the playing XI in the New Zealand series ahead of the IPL and post that, he suffered the wrath without playing any match.
So, the selectors considered form to be more important and that is fine but then what about players like Jitesh Sharma and Ruturaj Gaikwad? Interestingly, Mavi is currently leading Central Zone in the Duleep Trophy and has even picked up six wickets in the first innings against West Zone.
3. Ruturaj Gaikwad
Ruturaj Gaikwad. (Photo Source: Twitter/CSK)
Be it for Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League or while playing for Maharashtra in the domestic circuit, Ruturaj Gaikwad has been phenomenal in the last couple of years. He was in India’s scheme of things in the shortest format and thus, him not getting selected after scoring 590 runs in 16 matches in the recently concluded IPL makes very little sense.
It is true that the selectors had a very difficult choice on their hands as there was a place for either Gaikwad or Yashasvi Jaiswal and they went with the latter as he had a tremendous season in the IPL. However, what more can Gaikwad do?
The cricketer has barely got enough opportunity to represent the national team and in those opportunities, the Pune-born cricketer failed to impress and that’s probably one of the reasons behind him getting dropped.
However, there’s enough talent in him that can prove to be extremely valuable in the future. On the other hand, Gaikwad can prove to be another Sanju Samson who was deemed to be the next big superstar but has been presented with very limited opportunities so far. Sanju can still make it big and so can Gaikwad but with India’s top order looking sorted at the moment, how can Gaikwad crack the code?
2. Rinku Singh
Rinku Singh (Photo Source : Twitter)
Rinku Singh was the talk of the town after having a breathtaking IPL 2023. Several former and current cricketers were very optimistic about him making it to the squad for the West Indies series but the Aligarh-born batter was left disappointed after the squad announcement. The selection committee was once again questioned by the masses regarding the criteria of squad selection for the Windies tour.
If Yashasvi Jaiswal and Tilak Varma can get an opportunity because of their form, on what ground did Rinku miss out? Especially, with him scoring a lot of runs in the domestic circuit. Other than that, the 25-year-old is a terrific fielder and also a team man.
In the last edition of the IPL, Rinku scored 490 runs in 14 matches and with that, he finished as the ninth leading run-scorer of the season. The cricketer also smashed several records by hitting five sixes off five deliveries against Gujarat on the final five deliveries of match no. 13 of the season to script an unbelievable win in favour of Kolkata Knight Riders.
1. Mohit Sharma
Mohit Sharma. (Photo Source: BCCI/IPL)
Arguably the most surprising name but given his form, how was he not picked for the T20I squad? Especially, when the selection committee decided to give rest to the seniors. Mohit not only could have been an excellent addition but could have guided young cricketers like Avesh Khan and Umran Malik, who have failed to make a mark in international cricket so far.
He could also very well have replaced Umran in the squad. Umran isn’t in great form at the moment and it is understandable that the selectional committee is giving him an opportunity so that he could make the most of it but veteran pacer Mohit could have been the X factor, just like he was in the IPL for Gujarat Titans.
Notably, the Haryana-born cricketer picked up 27 wickets in 14 matches in the recently concluded IPL and with that, he finished as the second-leading wicket-taker of the season. He has been phenomenal in the death overs recently and thus, could have paired up with Arshdeep Singh to get the job done against the West Indies.
However, if he keeps up with his form, Mohit can very well make his way to the national team but for that, the selection panel will have to make sure that getting selected has nothing to do with age but rather with the skillset he possesses.