With 11 ODIs to go the alarm bells are ringing in the Indian dressing room. Barring their first-choice XI, the Indian Cricket Team look far from a settled outfit. Now, captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are rested for the IND vs WI 2nd ODI. Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav have all been handed a chance, with India trying to figure out their bench strength ahead of the World Cup 2023.
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With Ajit Agarkar watching, Team India opted to rest Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for the IND vs WI 2nd ODI in Barbados. Rohit and Virat are certainties in the India squad for World Cup 2023. Thus the team is opting to look for other options. With KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer yet to return from injury, India’s bench strength will play a vital role in the coming months.
India’s middle-order options sans KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer
- Suryakumar Yadav – Inns: 22, Runs: 452, Average: 23.78, SR: 100.67, HS: 64
- Ishan Kishan(while at No.4) – Inns: 6, Runs: 106, Average: 21.20, SR: 67.08, HS: 50
- Sanju Samson: Inns: 10, Runs: 330, Average: 66, SR: 103.5, HS: 86*
Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav are among the options in the scheme of things. With Rohit and Gill set at the top of the order, the combination is anyone’s guess. Ishan Kishan is considered ahead in the pecking order due to being a left-hander. However, while he might have to bat in the middle order, he has only played at No.4 only 6 times in his career. His average of 21.20 is far from satisfactory.
Sanju Samson, who missed the IND vs WI 1st ODI, was brought in for the second game, making his first appearance in 8 months. The Kerala-born batter has an average of 66 but has only played 10 innings in the past two years.
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