Well although the side chosen by MSK Prasad and Co. for the Asia Cup later this month is on expected lines, and while Virat Kohli was predictably and quite rightly rested, Team India is heavily dependent on the Mr Consistent. Kohli the Captain may not be missed, as Rohit has some captaincy experience and is an impeccable reader of the game with canny match awareness (something he showcased while leading Mumbai Indians to the IPL title), but Team India will surely miss Virat Kohli the run machine. India missed a point by not selecting Mayank Agarwal who could have been an interesting choice for Virat's replacement, while also tamely rewarding Mayank's recent form.
The only logic for not selecting Mayank Agarwal and perhaps even Suresh Raina could be because the Team Management has already some blueprint ready for next years World Cup, and perhaps both Mayank and Raina may be out of the scheme of things.
It is key that players like Kedar Jadhav and Manish Pandey find their groove sooner than later, which solves the middle order jigsaw for good. With no Kohli around, the middle order would be exposed more often than not, and a couple of players will have to put their hands up. The selectors would be mindful of this aspect of the team selection, and hence the slots of 4 and 5 is still up for grabs between a KL Rahul (also in the race when Kohli comes back to his No 3 slot, otherwise expect him to bat at 3 in the Asia Cup), Manish Pandey (he has been in prolific form in the quadrangular tournament in August against A-sides of South Africa etc), Ambati Rayudu (he missed the bus to England owing to failure to clear the infamous Yo-Yo test, which he has cleared now), Dinesh Karthik (still riding the imperial IPL form effect, time may be running out for him as the memories of IPL 2018 performances have started fading away; if he gets his chance he needs to nail it for good) and finally Kedar Jadhav. Kedar can bowl as well, and in the past got vital breakthroughs thanks to a deceptive looping bowling action and a clever mind. The next World Cup will be played in England (with small grounds) and India needs to bat deep and bat well to win matches. Not too much can be expected of bowling units in England. That means the big hitting Raina and perhaps even Shreyas Iyer may well still be in contention should the Manish Pandeys and Karthiks fail to deliver. It is going to be a close finish, I guess. Curiously, UAE suits the slower bowlers and so will the better player of spin in UAE conditions form the basis for eventual selection for the World Cup? We will have to wait and watch.
On the other hand, the Indian bowling unit is in good hands and perhaps there is not much concern there, except that they lack the services of a left arm seamer which is even more evident after the retirement of the evergreen Nehra ji. India liked to believe for a better part of last 2 years that Jaydev Unadkat was perhaps an answer. Barinder Sran was tried as well. This time around they have given a chance to rookie Khaleel Ahmed, another player rewarded for his exploits in the India-A outfit. He has grown under the watchful eyes of Rahul Dravid during his U-19 days, and although his stint with Sunrisers Hyderabad went unnoticed, his recent wicket-taking form has grabbed the eye balls of the people who matter. But, can he be picked ahead of the other seam bowlers who may not be left armers but are ahead in the pecking order?...It would be interesting to see if he gets a game or not, knowing the nature of pitches in UAE.
So much talk about the allrounder's slot and it looked like Krunal Pandya might finally get the nod after several impressive performances in the IPL for Mumbai Indians. If he would have been selected, his Captain would again have been Rohit Sharma, and perhaps Rohit knows best how to use him. Nothing against Axar Patel, who is perhaps the better bowler, but with Dhoni switching-on the accumulator mode in recent times, it would have been a good ploy to have Krunal's slam bang skills in the squad. But, then you would say, there is the other Pandya brother, Hardik, to do the same job who has an even bigger penchant for the booming sixes he has come to be known for. India will not miss Krunal so much as Virat Kohli, which is what worries me. The middle order is going to be tested by Srilanka and Pakistan and maybe even Bangladesh.
Virat ...come back fresh for the Australian tour to India, while we keep our fingers crossed and hope Pakistan does not inflict a loss upon Team India in UAE, which has been a favourite hunting ground for them over the years.
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