In a three-match One-Day International series, Team India faced off against New Zealand. The hosts easily won all three games and dominated in every facet of the contest. Axar Patel and KL Rahul, two pillars of the ODI side for India, were absent from the squad due to family obligations. Due to an injury, Shreyas Iyer did not begin the series either.
It was an opportunity for players like Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav to capitalize on their opportunities. They had a poor series and did little to make a name for themselves on the squad.
There are several candidates for practically every position on the Indian squad, making it tough to give everyone an opportunity. The Indian captain described the scenario of the guys who were not given a chance to play.
Rohit gave a clear-cut reply to the question, “I know maybe we could have played him in Indore. In Ranchi, Ishan will also say, let me play, I am from Ranchi. But that is not how it works, we go according to some plans. Everyone will get a chance. That is what we have told the boys, we will give you a chance to play whenever we can but that opportunity should arise, there are a lot of boys waiting in line.”
Team India will aim to make a statement in the three-match T20I series that begins on Friday after thoroughly dominating the visitors in the ODI series. The top players, including Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, and Mohammed Shami, will take a break from this series in order to prepare for the forthcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which will begin on February 9 in Nagpur.
