India’s ODI clean sweep impressive, but T20 win will have to be hard-earned

India made a clean sweep of the 3-match ODI series against the West Indies. The first two matches were photo finishes, highlighting the depth of talent in the team, and collective ambition.

However, this impressive streak may have only added to the complexities faced by the selectors and the team management with regard to the squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup.

The ODI series showed up several Indian players to be in good form. But the `problem of plenty’ for selectors could get more acute depending on how the 5-match T20 series against West Indies, starting Friday, pans out.

Among bowlers, Yuzvendra Chahal was exceptional in ODIs, as he has been since his recall to the side, hurrying the West Indies batsmen with sharp spin, deceptive flight and, mixing the leg breaks and googlies adroitly, and all this done with splendid control.

Pace bowlers Shardul Thakur and Mohamed Siraj put up sterling performances on flat tracks.

This was not beyond what was expected of them, however.  What is putting the selectors and management in a quandary of sorts is the success of some more top order batsman and compounded by the exploits of all-rounder Axar Patel.

Shikhar Dhawan, who led the team in the absence of Rohit Sharma and K L Rahul, was in his elements. He is now slotted as an ODI specialist with an eye on next year’s 50-overs World Cup. Dhawan is not in the T20 team in the series against West Indies. But his form and fitness is superb, and he may still be on the horizon of the selectors, albeit a long shot for making the cut for the T20 WC.

But Sanju Samson and Shubhman Gill, both much younger than Dhawan versatile to bat in any position in the top order, are in serious contention and both came good. Sanju Samson, however, is not in the squad for the T20s against the West Indies. Does that spell kaput for his prospects to be in the T20WC? Or is it that the selectors have seen and know enough of him and would rather check other players?

The player who caused most excitement with his performances in the ODI series was Axar Patel, thereby added to the sweet headache of the selectors. In the second ODI, chasing a tough 311, India’s cause looked lost before Axar came and smashed 64 off just 35 deliveries to take India home in an edge-of-seat climax. He had also bowled economically and picked up a wicket in the West Indies innings to make strong impact with his all-round prowess.

Axar is not a rookie. He’s been consistently successful on the domestic circuit for 7-8 years, but for the Indian team, was largely seen an understudy to Ravindra Jadeja, who also bats and bowls left-handed. Would the selectors and team management want another resource similar to Jadeja in the squad? Also, how many all-rounders should there be included, assuming Hardik Pandya and Jadeja are the primary choices?

Axar’s rich form has delayed answers to these queries. A good showing in the T20 series against West Indies would strengthen his case — and add to the headache of the selectors.

Given the poor form of this home season, including being drubbed by Bangladesh before the 0-3 rout against India in the ODIs, West Indies clearly start as underdogs in this T20 series. Since this format came along a decade and a half back, it opened up a lifeline for West Indies cricket, getting players livelihood, exposure and experience. Winning two T20 World Cup titles made West Indies perhaps the most feared T20 team in the last decade, but in the past year or so, and particularly this home season, they’ve suffered a slump in limited overs cricket, highlighted by the drubbing meted out by Bangladesh. But the T20 format has remained their most profitable in the last decade.

This series against India, a strong, in-form side, comes as both, opportunity to turn things around and also get good preparation for the mega-tournament starting in Australia in October.

For India too, every match is invaluable in the build-up for the World Cup. Apart from selectors finding players to fill up specific roles in the squad, India would like to raise match-winning tempo and carry into the tournament.

Kohli and Bumrah are not playing this series, K L Rahul is returning after a longish lay-off because of Injury, as is Kuldeep Yadav, and captain Rohit Sharma is seeking big scores. Given the intrinsically topsy-turvy nature of the format, victory for India cannot be assumed. It will have to be hard-earned.