Suryakumar Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja out of ODIs: The ‘Gautam Gambhir factor’ behind team selection

The announcement of the Indian national team’s selection for the white-ball tour of Sri Lanka was a bittersweet moment for Suryakumar Yadav. While the attacking batsman was elated to get the team captaincy in the T20Is, he was also dropped from the ODI squad, with the selectors and new coach Gautam Gambhir making his position clear. Suryakumar was part of India’s ODI squad for the 2023 World Cup, but he failed to repay the trust the selectors showed in him. Hence, the 360-degree batsman was snubbed for a place in the Indian ODI team in the island nation.

Suryakumar may be considered the best T20 batsman in the world, but the same cannot be said about his 50-over game. In the 37 ODI matches he played, the Mumbai batsman averaged just 25.76. His ability to play with patience and gradually increase the pace of scoring runs has been questioned by many.

With just 6 ODIs to be played before the ICC Champions Trophy next year, the selectors want to give other players a chance. According to Indian Express, Sunrisers Hyderabad all-rounder Nitish Reddy’s name is being considered, especially because of the three-dimensional skill set he brings to the table. Hardik Pandya remains India’s premier bowling all-rounder in white-ball cricket but is not part of the ODI series against the Lankans. But he could return on future missions.

Gautam Gambhir’s ‘data-driven’ approach

Just like India’s ODI captain Rohit Sharma, even coach Gautam Gambhir is known for relying on data before making selection decisions. In this regard, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar have emerged as tempting options in white-ball cricket. Hence, Ravindra Jadeja was not picked.

For the Sri Lanka series, however, Riyan Parag is a player who could come into conflict. Parag is not only a useful batsman down the order but also has the ability to contribute in a few overs. In the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Parag’s consistent performances speak for his abilities as an all-rounder has seen him emerge as one of the most consistent players in recent seasons.

The Assam star, however, may not be the first choice, with more experienced stars like Axar and Sundar also being part of the squad.

India vs Sri Lanka ODI Squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Ꮪhubman Gill (vice-captain), Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Riyan Parag, Axar Patel, Khaleel Ahmed, Harshit Rana.