New Zealand in India 2023 [ 3 Odis & 3T20Is ]

[Rajkumar Sharma]

India’s ODI squad against New Zealand: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan (wk), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, KS Bharat (wk), Hardik Pandya (vice-captain), Washington Sundar, Shahbaz Ahmed, Shardul Thakur, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Umran Malik.

India’s T20I squad against New Zealand: Hardik Pandya (Captain), Suryakumar Yadav (vice-captain), Ishan Kishan (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik, Shivam Mavi, Prithvi Shaw, Mukesh Kumar.

Note: KL Rahul & Axar Patel were unavailable for the New Zealand Home series due to family commitments.

[Rajkumar Sharma]

Doesnt support selection of half allrounders to cover ex player's statement that last 4 bowler can't bat. Though last 4 can't bat they are picking wickets. Half allrounders damaged the team in Bangladesh series, selector should have given chance to a proper allrounder like Raj Bawa

[prasen9]

For ODIs, I'd play: Shubman, Kishan, Iyer, Surya, Bharat (wk), Hardik, two of Sundar/Kuldeep/Shahbaz, Thakur, Siraj, Malik. No point playing the seniors. Maybe Shami instead of Thakur because Thakur is useless and Shami needs to regain form.

For the two of Sundar, Kuldeep, Shahbaz, I am thinking Kuldeep because he takes wickets and Shahbaz. That is a weaker batting but stronger bowling lineup to Sundar and Shahbaz. Kuldeep and Sundar spin the ball the same direction but that may be okay too if NZ has lots of left-handers.

No point playing Rohit and Kohli.

[prasen9]

100% agree we need to encourage and nurture true all-rounders. Bajwa or whoever.

Hardik, who does not bowl 10 overs, is not a true-allrounder and should be in the team if he bats well. Sundar could be one and should be given chances.

[prasen9]

In the T20Is, I'd play: Gaikwad, Gill, Shaw, Hooda, Hardik, Tripathi, Jitesh, Sundar, Kuldeep, 2 pacers.

But, of course, Hardik is too chicken to be a 3rd pacer and will choose 3 #11s. Maybe Mavi is a #10 and so he should get more chances because of his batting skills than the #11s.

[prasen9]

Iyer is injured. They got Patidar into the team. Patidar does not have a great List-A record except he is perhaps a big hitter. So, he is good for the #6 spot or so.

Anyway, in reality Surya will come in Iyer's place and Hardik will slot in with Kishan being the wicket-keeper. I sincerely hope Kishan (and the rest of the juniors plus Surya) plays stellar roles and makes it hard for the others to be slotted ahead of him in ODIs.

[Rajkumar Sharma]

Doesn't think list A, domestic performances matters anymore for selection in Playing XI. IPL tag is the one a new player needs to represent national team

[Mukherjee Babu]

Mumbai factor puts half batter half bowler Thakur in playing XI instead of Umran

[prasen9]

They did not want to play with 4 #11s. The batting has been Gill & the nincompoops.

But, two innings were at the opposite end of the spectrum and were bizarre. Surya played too fast and took too many risks. He seems to be good for T20Is but these cameos will not help in ODIs in India. You need at least 50s to make a difference where 350 is regularly scored. Hardik played the worst innings imho. He was unfortunate to be given out but he got beaten umpteen times and was beaten by this ball. He played at a SR of 73 for 38 balls, that is about 12% of the innings or so. Our #7-11 are slow and cannot really bat well. But, on the whole, they can possibly average at close to 90 or 100 SR even though they will get out and we had wickets. So, there is no justification for batting at a SR of 73 for that long.

Our top batters by average in ODIs are: Shubman, Kohli, Rohit, Kishan, Iyer, Rahul, Hardik.

Now, Hardik wants to be a batsman and cannot bowl 10 overs. So, we should use Jadeja at Hardik's spot. Now, if we want another batter who can bowl, we have to look at one of Sundar/Axar/Hooda, etc. in Rahul's spot.

Over 4.2 to end of over 8 in NZ innings. 0 runs scored. Incredible bowling. One wicket.

[Rajkumar Sharma]

We dont need an average guy as 3rd seamer, who can't pick wickets, bats for 20/30 runs just for the sake of 4 tailenders. Team needs 3 genuine fast bowlers and 1 spinner who can pick wickets in odis. 10 overs 40 runs no wickets is useless stat in odi. Hardik & Jadeja are definately for 6/7th spot in playing XI for WC. Indian bowling is already weak in the absence of Bumrah, picking half allrounders will make it more worst

[prasen9]

Thakur gives 62 runs in 10 overs to get 1.87 wickets (about 2 wickets a bit less). Umran is more wayward and gives 63 runs in 10 overs to get 2.5 wickets on the average. So, with Umran we get no savings in runs but about .6 wicket more. That is, every other match we get a wicket more - approximately. Thakur gives us 20 runs at a SR of 107.

Don't know which one is better. Umran does not look to be that much good a bowler that we should play with four #11s and Thakur does not seem like that good a batter for whom we sacrifice one wicket every other match.

The issue is a bit harder because Thakur and Umran are both rudderless. Umran is young and can improve. Thakur's upside is limited. But, if you bring in someone like Bumrah or PK and compare them to Thakur or for that matter Siraj or Shami - one of these four will be the real competitor assuming everyone is fit, then Thakur will be giving more runs and taking fewer wickets. Then, is 20 runs worth it?

Ideally, we should not be having a discussion and have a bona fide allrounder and not an allrounder in name only in Hardik, who cannot bowl a full quota of 10 overs regularly.

[Rajkumar Sharma]

Again after picking 6 wickets, bowling went for relaxation its continuing since Bangladesh series.Siraj is not good with end overs. Shami is struggling. This team will struggle to defend 350+ in WC with this bowling attack

[prasen9]

That will happen. The ball loses its shine and our bowlers cannot bowl with the old ball. Maybe except Siraj.

This game was so close only because of Rohit. He kept bowling Pandya after he batted awfully badly and bowled the second over with loads of crap being stubborn. He underbowled Kuldeep, Sundar, and Thakur. That let New Zealand back in the game.

[indiansportsfan]

Looks like we only have 1 good bowler in Siraj, and 1 decent one in Kuldeep, the rest are all crap. I don't know how we can win the world cup with this lineup, the best hope is we get lucky with the toss in the knockout matches.

[indiansportsfan]

Actually was forgetting Malik, he is not bad too, just needs to tighten up a bit.

Also most teams carry 6 bowlers, including 2 all-rounders who don't bowl their full quota of overs. So nothing unusual with Pandya. The problem though with Pandya is that he is very up and down. Quite good in 1 game and total crap in the next.