Under the Microscope: 3 Things for India to Improve On in the 3rd ODI

#2: Team Selection

Will both of them play the next game?

Every time India loses a match, there is always talk about whose fault it was, and how that player has not been performing for the last x number of years and it is high time they were dropped. This time, however, it might actually be worth looking deeper into the current XI that India have been playing. Dinesh Karthik has been in tremendous form both in the IPL and the now legendary Nidahas trophy final. Yet, he cannot seem to get a game.

Karthik getting a game means someone has to be dropped and the eyes immediately turn to 3 possible players: KL Rahul, Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni.

KL Rahul

Dropping Rahul seems to be a tough decision. He scored a blistering hundred quite recently, but since then there have been a string of low scores, with a duck in his most recent innings. He is a promising prospect for the future, however, and the management might be unwilling to drop him for this reason primarily.

Suresh Raina

It was between Raina and Karthik as to who played in the ODI series, and if someone is dropped, it seems to be that Raina is the most likely candidate. Raina was playing ahead of Karthik due to the fact that Raina can bowl a few overs of spin as a 6th bowling option and he has bowled 5 overs in 2 matches so far. Raina has looked shaky in the innings he has played, playing every delivery with a similar kind of shuffle to the offside and staying leg-side of the ball.

MS Dhoni

Replacing Dhoni with Karthik would be a like-for-like replacement and probably the least likely of all 3 of these due to Dhoni’s stature and reputation as a player that would cause mass controversy, from the fans, if dropped ahead of the other two. That being said, it would also ensure Rahul gets enough opportunities and Raina’s utility as a spinner is still available since a keeper is dropped to accommodate a keeper in the XI.

Karthik does deserve a chance to play for a shot at getting a WC2019 spot, and if he does get one, he will be eager to prove that it was the right decision.