The Indian team management led by head coach Rahul Dravid were in the firing line for not picking regular captain Rohit Sharma and former skipper Virat Kohli in the second and third ODI against the West Indies. Why were Rohit and Kohli picked in the ODI squad in the first place if they were not going to play? This was the question on everyone cricket fan's mind. Allowing them to go home instead of staying with the squad would have been a more logical approach. And besides, shouldn't India have fielded their best possible XI in the last three ODIs before a multi-nation tournament like the Asia Cup?
On top of that, India's batting line-ups in the three-match ODI series gave confusing signals. They sent Suryakumar Yadav to bat at No.3 in the first ODI then he was dragged down to No.6 in the next two matches. Axar Patel was promoted to No.4 in the second match and was not picked in the first and the third ODI while opener Ruturaj Gaikwad batted at No.3 in the decider.
Shryeas Iyer, KL Rahul unlikely to be fit for Asia Cup
But what fans and critics on social media were not aware of was the fitness update of Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul. Iyer and Rahul are both considered to be confirmed starters in India's ODI XI when fit. The last two words are crucial here. According to sources, both Iyer and Rahul are doubtful for the Asia Cup.
The BCCI had released a medical update of injured batters Rahul, Iyer, pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna and wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant on July 21. "They have resumed batting in the nets and are currently undergoing strength and fitness drills. The BCCI Medical Team is satisfied with their progress and will increase their intensity in terms of both skills and strength and conditioning in the coming days," the update said about Rahul and Iyer.
{{/usCountry}}The BCCI had released a medical update of injured batters Rahul, Iyer, pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna and wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant on July 21. "They have resumed batting in the nets and are currently undergoing strength and fitness drills. The BCCI Medical Team is satisfied with their progress and will increase their intensity in terms of both skills and strength and conditioning in the coming days," the update said about Rahul and Iyer.
{{/usCountry}}While Bumrah and Krishna have regained fitness and were included in the T20I series against Ireland, Iyer and Rahul are still far from regaining match fitness. Iyer is recovering from a back injury that reoccurred during the home Test series against Australia and also ruled him out of IPL 2023. Rahul, on the other hand, suffered a thigh injury during an IPL 2023 match against Royal Challengers Bangalore, for which he also had to undergo surgery in London.
Although Iyer, India's preferred No.4 batter and Rahul, India's No.5 and first-choice keeper in ODIs, have both resumed batting in the nets, a BCCI official said the duo are far from reaching a stage where they can field for 50 overs.
“It’s not just whether they can bat, again. At this stage, it cannot be ascertained if they can field at full fitness in a 50 overs match,” a BCCI official told Hindustan Times.
Why didn't Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli play 2nd and 3rd ODI vs West Indies?
Rohit and Kohli were originally supposed to play all the three ODIs against the West Indies as part of the preparations for the Asia Cup and World Cup but once the team management came to know about the grim fitness updates of Iyer and Rahul, they had to alter their plans. They had little option but to prepare backups for Rahul and Iyer. And the best possible way to do that was to give chances to players like Sanju Samson and Suryakumar Yadav.
If Rahul and Iyer fail to recover to full fitness for the Asia Cup, it would leave the duo with only the 3 ODIs against Australia (Sept 22-27) to prove their match-fitness for the World Cup that begins on October 5. If Rahul, who would otherwise play the dual role of middle-overs batter and wicket-keeper, shows a marked improvement in fitness in the coming days, the selectors can pick him provisionally for the World Cup and take a final call later. The selectors and the team management would ideally not want to take the risk of going into a tournament like the World Cup with a player who hasn't proved his match fitness.
Sanju Samson and Suryakumar Yadav backups for Iyer and Rahul
Despite all his world-beating achievements in the T20Is, SKY hasn't quite been able to crack the ODI code. But with Iyer and Rahul being doubtful, he becomes crucial to India's plans and so does Samson as a backup keeper. By the looks of it, Dravid and Rohit have sort of decided that SKY is best-suited at No.6 instead of No.4. This gives him the opportunity to bat freely and utilise the final 15-20 overs of the match just like a T20I.
This leaves India's No.4 options limited. That is where Samson comes into play. The Kerala cricketer usually bats in the top 3 but for India, he has largely batted between No.4 and 6 in ODIs. In the final ODI against the West Indies, he smashed a sparkling half-century while batting at No.4 with four sixes. With his technique and ability to attack the spinners, he can be an option if Iyer fails to recover in time.