Three key takeaways from India's squad for the New Zealand ODIs

India are currently playing against Sri Lanka [Source: AP]

In a significant development, India announced a strong 16-member squad for the upcoming ODI series against New Zealand. While some calls of the selectors were lauded, some confused the cricket fans and experts. 

As the Men in Blue gear up for the series, let's jot down three key takeaways from the selected squad. 

KS Bharat in ODIs: A case of format mixing?

KS Bharat in action [Source: Twitter]

As KL Rahul was unavailable for selection for the series, the selectors picked KS Bharat as his replacement player. However, Bharat is regarded as a red-ball specialist and doesn't have promising stats to his name in white-ball cricket. 

Statistically, the Andhra Pradesh keeper-batter has amassed 1950 runs at an average of 33.62 and a strike rate of 76.98. But, to be very honest, these stats, by no means, can be called impressive in One-days in this era. 

So, it can be said that Bharat's reputation in First-Class cricket has probably rewarded him with a spot in ODIs. 

Meanwhile, keeper-batters like Narayan Jagadeesan (2090 List-A runs, avg: 49.76) deserved to be in the squad, as he had a standout Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) 2022-23, garnering 830 runs at an average of 138.33 and a strike rate of 125.37. 

If the selectors wanted a middle-order keeper-batter, they could've picked Aryan Juyal, who not only had a great VHT but also possesses much better List-A stats (1026 runs, avg: 41.04) than KS Bharat.  

Will Ishan be tested in the middle order?

Ishan Kishan [Source: AP]

With the kind of squad India have picked, we shouldn't be surprised if they try Ishan Kishan at number five in the ODI series. 

Their top order is packed with Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer, so their quest for a left-handed batter in the middle could be fulfilled by slotting Ishan at number five. As far as India are concerned, they won't play KS Bharat ahead of Ishan in the ODIs. 

The curious case of Shardul Thakur

Shardul Thakur finished the year 2022 as India's second most successful ODI bowler, scalping 22 wickets in 16 matches. However, he was left out of the squad, as the hosts preferred Arshdeep Singh for the Sri Lanka series. 

But now, they have recalled Shardul for the New Zealand series without trying Arshdeep in the Sri Lanka series. So, their stance with respect to Shardul is creating confusion among the masses. 

Also, with Axar not being around, he might actually play for the sake of batting depth. 

But will he retain his place when Axar comes back? Only time will tell. 

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