India in Sri Lanka, LOIs 2021

[indiansportsfan]

I don't think this lineup works, because Pandya cannot be relied upon to complete his quota of overs. Also Kuldeep has been in pretty bad form for more than a year, I would not pick him unless he turns it around in the IPL. I would pick Jadeja over him.

[prasen9]

Possible. But, this is based upon Pandya gaining his bowling form. He was bowling four overs in T20Is. Kuldeep has never lost his form internationally. He has been the best spinner for us in T20Is. You are assuming his lack of form will spill over into the international arena too. I'd replace Kuldeep with Varun to get some more wicket-taking power. Although Jadeja gives us another bat for free. If we start taking more risks and hitting from early on, then Jadeja's bat could certainly be useful. And, if you bring Jadeja in, then the sixth bowler is Hardik. So, it works out that way too if Hardik does not get back to fitness/form with the ball.

[PKBasu]

The brittle fourth-string batting line-up collapsed today. Ruturaj Gaikwad (14 off 10), Bhuvi (16) and Kuldeep (23) were the only ones who got into double figures.

[prasen9]

So, what is going on here? Is Saini hurt? He did not get an over in the last match and got dropped in this match in favor of a bowler who is not a batter at all and was our #11.

This also speaks very badly for the lot who failed. Admittedly they got few matches but they pretty much may have batted themselves out of the A-team to some extent. Ruturaj 17.5/125, Padikkal 19/100, Rana 7.5/55, Samson 11.7/110, Prithvi 0/0 (over 10 matches, the others are 2 matches, Prithvi 1 match). If I was not a believer in due process, I would say sweep away this set of junk. Anyway, I hope they are given a long run but before them I would certainly give Kishan, and SAY a long run and play them before this set.

[indiansportsfan]

I believe this was a tough pitch to bat on, so it might be bit harsh to judge the newcomers on the basis of this performance.
To me, Kuldeep was a big disappointment, not generating much impact when the other spinners ran amok. His performance has been quite inconsistent in the last 1+ year, and I think he needs to really to step it up in the IPL to guarantee a spot in the T20WC squad.

[prasen9]

Economy-wise, Kuldeep was the worst. But, wicket-taking wise, Varun was the worst and Chahal had a SR worse than Kuldeep's. Varun seems like another Sundar. Very restrictive but no bite. Ideally, I like people who take wickets and keep runs low. We are a big country with resources. We should be able to produce those. At least among spinners. I fully agree that Kuldeep should be in if he does well in the IPL and out if not. RD Chahar should be our first spinner. Jadeja and Sundar can bat but they hardly do in T20Is.

Yes, this was a tough pitch. But, any Joe can bat on a flat pitch. We need people who can bat on tough pitches. And, should use this data. It is precious because a lot of pitches in LOIs are cakewalks. The Sri Lankan guys did fine on this pitch though. Anyway, all of these guys should be given more chances if there is scope. But, Kishan and SAY need to be at the beginning of the line. That is all I am saying.