R Ashwin and Shreyas Iyer are poised to return to the cricket arena following respective absences. Iyer participated momentarily in India’s first two Asia Cup games in Pallekele, whereas Ashwin has only played two One-Day Internationals in the past six years. Both players are poised to feature in the playing XI for the first ODI against Australia in Mohali on September 22.
Iyer missed the Super 4 game in Colombo due to back spasms, making it imperative for the Indian team to evaluate his fitness, particularly since he is a member of the World Cup team. The team’s leadership is eager to evaluate his readiness. Recently, Captain Rohit Sharma stated that Iyer is 99 percent prepared.
“It (the three-match series) gives us an opportunity for some players who need game time,” On the eve of the first of the three ODs, India coach Rahul Dravid vehemently suggested Iyer’s inclusion in the XI. Iyer and Ashwin, whose experience is highly valued by the team management, are likely to return.
“Having someone of Ashwin’s experience and for him to come back is good for us. Ashwin provides you that experience, and also that ability to contribute with the bat at No 8. And (he is) someone we always thought of in case of injuries or opening up of opportunities. I know he has not played a lot of one day cricket lately but someone of his experience can really do very well,” Dravid said.
“”He is playing 50-over cricket after a long time. I wouldn’t say it’s a trial for him, we know his quality, but it’s an opportunity to see him play in this format and play many games in this format. We just want to give him that opportunity to be able to play two or three games if required before the World Cup.”
The disparity between Suryakumar Yadav’s ODI and T20 performances raises concerns about his suitability for the format. Teams have until October 27 to make alterations to their World Cup squads, so he will be eligible to play in the three ODIs without fear of being dropped from the squad.
“I don’t think he needs to worry about the 27th deadline. We’ve picked our team for the World Cup and Surya is in it. We made that decision to do that and we completely backed him. We back him because he has got a certain quality and an ability that we have seen.
“Yes, we’ve seen it at the moment in T20 cricket but we know the kind of impact a player like him can make batting at 6. He can change the course of a game. So, we have completely backed him, we are pretty clear about that, there’s been total clarity on the fact that we are completely behind him, and we know that hopefully he’ll be able to turn it around. He is someone who will get these three games – at least the first couple – to be able to develop and keep growing on his journey as a one-day cricketer. But in terms of selection, we’ve made our decision.”
Regarding the decision to rest senior players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Hardik Pandya for the first two games of the current series, Dravid explained, “With people like Virat and Rohit in particular, it’s really important that we get them to the first game of the World Cup in the physical and mental state that they want to be in. Due to their extensive cricket experience, they are aware of how to prepare at this level. And many of these decisions are made in consultation with them in an effort to get all of our players…obviously not just the two of them, but also the seniors and the more seasoned players…in the right mindset for the first game.
“So, a lot of these decisions are taken in discussion with them. We discuss with them how best they would like to prepare in the lead-up to big events like the World Cup. We’ve come up with some mutual decisions on deciding that probably these two games were good games for them to take off, just to refresh mentally more than anything else. And then come back to Rajkot and then it’s going to be a tough couple of months ahead for us,” the coach said.
The matches in the series will start at 1:30 pm, while the subsequent day-night games of the World Cup will kick off at 2 pm.
