Team India will begin their preparation for the ODI World Cup starting from the West Indies tour in July and the Rohit Sharma-led side would have lesser ODI matches to finalize their squad going into the marquee event in India and it would be the right time to give youngsters a chance, who are fray in the selection for the team to get a clear picture going forward.
With Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, and Mohammed Shami likely to be part of the team in home conditions it could be the time for the Indian team as they need to find a backup for these players in going into the much-awaited event in India.
Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya can lead the team in the absence of regular skipper Rohit Sharma, with a few faces like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, and Ruturaj Gaikwad can be given an opportunity in these games.
1. Openers – Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad
Shubman Gill has been in the form of his life, since the start of 2023, as he smashed two hundred and a double hundred in ODI Cricket, carried on his form into Indian Premier League, where he finished as the highest run-getter in the league. The Right-hand opener is expected to play a vital role for the Indian team in the marquee event alongside Rohit Sharma.
Yashasvi Jaiswal had a breakthrough season in IPL 2023 as he played exceedingly well for the Rajasthan Royals in the cash-rich league instilling a fearless approach in his batting taking on the quality bowlers. In this edition of the IPL, he scored 625 runs in 14 matches at an average of 48.08 and has hit five half-centuries and one century in the season and also has some good in Vijay Hazare Trophy playing for Mumbai.
2023 Champions performer Ruturaj Gaikwad has been a standout player for his side in IPL 2023 alongside Devon Conway setting up the right platform for the middle-order batters for Chennai Super Kings and the Maharastra opener can be crucial for Men in Blue in the future, as he could look to do well for the Indian team in the highest level.
2. Middle Order Batters – Tilak Varma, Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh
Tilak Varma had a breakout season with the five-time champions in IPL 2022 and has continued his fine form in this edition of IPL where he showed great application and temperament in tricky situations to bat the team out of the trouble. The Left-handed batter impressed everyone with his batting exploits and more importantly, he looked comfortable against both spinners and pacers.
KKR Skipper Nitish Rana has been a consistent performer in domestic and IPL. The 29-year-old was impressive with the bat throughout the season and he has also shown that he can chip with some overs in the middle. He has been more than handy with the ball, with can be crucial for the Indian team, as they lack an all-rounder in the batting-heavy middle order.
Rinku Singh can play the role of the middle order and finisher in the Indian team, as he batted two-time champions out of trouble for numerous instances. The youngster has scored 474 runs in 14 matches at an average of 59.25 and a strike rate of 149.52 and also has done exceedingly well for Uttar Pradesh in the domestic circuit.
3. Wicket-Keepers – Sanju Samson And Ishan Kishan
Sanju Samson will look to make it into the Indian team for the 2023 ODI World Cup and the Kerala batter has performed exceedingly well for the Indian team in the limited opportunity in 50 over format. Samson has scored 330 runs in 11 ODIs so far at an impressive batting average of 66 and will look to take the job of the gloveman for the Indian team in the West Indies tour.
Ishan Kishan can be the backup wicket-keeper for the Indian team in ODI cricket as he brings different variety to the team with the versatility to bat at any stage of the innings in his short career so far, has amassed 510 runs at a good average of 42.5 in 14 ODIs.
4. All-Rounders – Hardik Pandya (C), Washington Sundar, And Axar Patel
Hardik Pandya will be the crucial man for India’s chances in the ODI World Cup as he would straight away into the playing 11 to provide balance in the side in two departments the Gujarat Titans skipper can take up the role of the third pacer in the team. The Indian all-rounder had a decent with the 2022 champions in this edition of IPL and will look to up his game in the coming series.
Washington Sundar and Axar Patel can take up the role of another all-rounder spot in the team in the absence of Ravindra Jadeja. The Tamil Nadu all-rounder was ruled out of the IPL 2023 due to a hamstring injury but has returned to competitive cricket through TNPL 2023 whereas Axar Patel has been one of the best players in recent times producing match-winning performances for the Men in Blue in the highest level.
4.Spinner – Kuldeep Yadav
Kuldeep Yadav has looked in a very good rhythm since his return to International Cricket after a stupendous season with Delhi Capitals in IPL 2022. The Left arm- chinaman can strike in the middle overs and break partnerships and has already proven to be useful for the Indian team.
The Delhi Capitals is expected to spread head India’s spin bowling attack in the marquee event in India, as the pitches in India usually favour the Spinners, with varieties and variations the youngster would be a crucial player to India against high-quality opponents.
5. Fast Bowlers – Mukesh Kumar, Mohsin Khan, And Umran Malik
Mukesh Kumar first earned a national call-up for India’s ODI series against South Africa last year. The Bengal Pacer had a successful time recently, with terrific performances for India A and the Rest of India in the Irani Trophy he was the joint-highest wicket-taker in the series against New Zealand A.
Mohsin Khan is rated as a highly talented youngster in the domestic cricket circuit. The Left arm pacer has shown the ability to contain the batsmen in the powerplays and variations in the death overs making him one of the best bowlers of the IPL and can be a vital player for the Indian team going forward.
Umran Malik has made his white-ball debut in limited-overs cricket for India and has had a decent outing. The youngster is known for his tearaway fast bowling as he has been clocking 150kmph-plus consistently in International Cricket.