Team India’s Champions Trophy confusion: Kohli, Iyer, Jaiswal selection

Last Updated:February 07, 2025, 18:29 IST

India vs England ODI: Team India is confused despite a 1-0 lead against England. This confusion is associated with Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer and Yashasvi Jaiswal. Akshar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav …Read more

The second ODI between India and England will be played on 9 February.

Despite taking a 1-0 lead in the three-match series against England, Team India is seen in Pashopesh. The question is not just to win the match or series against England. In terms of Big Picture, the responsibility of fixing the playing XI of the Champion Trophy will also be harassing captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Gautam Gambhir. When Virat Kohli did not play in Nagpur due to unfit, everyone felt that Yashasvi Jaiswal got a chance as an opener only for this reason. The team also did not officially disclose this.

On the other hand, Shreyas Iyer told the world without questioning in a conversation with Parthiv Patel after scoring a fierce half -century that he would not actually be in the playing XI if Kohli would have been fit! In such a situation, there are three major confusion in front of Team India. Number 1 confusion is that if Kohli comes fit, will Iyer be dropped from the team despite matching a match-making half-century? In normal time or in a spectacular phase of victory, the team management does not hesitate to take such bold decisions as Mohammed Shami was excluded in the 2023 World Cup until Hardik Pandya was out due to injury. . Iyer, who holds a career strike rate of 102 while batting in the mid-order (in 63 matches) and also keeps a commendable average of about 48, then how to remove them again? Many experts will also argue that if Iyer had not scored a half-century and was dismissed at zero, then he should be in the team because the batsmen playing with such aggression and understanding in the middle order are not in this team. . And in the queue of experienced batsmen, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are far ahead of them, while KL Rahul has played the same matches (78) matches. In such a situation, if Jaiswal and Gill get a place in the playing XI and Iyer has to sit outside, then these are a little strange situation.

What will be given to Jaiswal?
The second confusion is that if Iyer was also kept when Kohli was fit, then what will be the answer to the young Jaiswal? Certainly, the reason for bringing Jaiswal into XI must have been that he is young, aggressive, the first batsman in the top order of the left hand and after proving himself in Test and T20, he would be seen as the only player at the moment. There are three who bring changes in their game and style in terms of all three formnts. Overall, he is a big player for the future and he should meet every occasion for the current form. In such a situation, after the failure of just one match, it will not be seen to move one step ahead for the team management and then the decision will not be seen two steps back? After the end of the match, this writer was interacted with former Team India veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on the show ‘Ash Ki Baat’ and I put the same question to him. Ashwin said that this confusion is really big but Jaiswal did not score a century or half -century in this match or else the team management could have a big problem for the next match.

Varun Chakraborty’s mystery is also not solving
Pointing towards the third confusion, Ashwin said that Varun Chakraborty is now part of the ODI series and he can also be taken in the Champions Trophy. But the question is that even if Chakravarti goes to Dubai, he will play in the playing XI in whose place? You cannot sit outside Ravindra Jadeja. He not only bowled brilliantly in Nagpur but he is the 5th most successful player after Kumble, Ashwin, Harbhajan and Kapil Dev among those who took the most wickets in international cricket. On the side of Jadeja, all his style all-round Akshar Patel cannot be placed out because the team is seeing them as batsmen in the middle-order instead of the lower order. Akshar has improved his batting a lot in recent years and in every format he has also been playing the role of a troubleshooter. He balances Team India’s batting order as a left -handed batsman because KL Rahul is playing KL Rahul instead of Rishabh Pant, left -arm Rishabh Pant for the wicketkeeper batsman. Kuldeep Yadav also bowls with his left hand but he is a Chinaman spinner and is a more aggressive option than Jadeja-Patel. And not only take wickets in the middle overs but also curb runs. In such a situation, the question is whether Team India, like the T20 World Cup, will go to every match in every match with the left -handed spin trio and will not be the place of Chakravarti as a variety and shocking alternative?

Rohit’s form biggest confusion
Apart from these three complications, perhaps the biggest confusion for Team India is that critics and former players are looking at the batting form of captain Rohit Sharma with Test cricket. After the failure of the captain’s bat in Nagpur, the figure of his recent Test record was again given. Now no one will say that Rohit is the second number in ICC ranking in ODI cricket at the moment and the last ODI series which took place in Sri Lanka was also the most successful batsman. Captain Rohit may feel that the world and the media are behind him, but such an attitude with the veterans of Indian cricket is not new. When the bat speaks, the criticism of criticism will automatically calm down and it should be expected that not only in Cuttack ODI and Ahmedabad, not only Team India will achieve the balance of their playing XI but will also fit all their stalwarts and in the form. Will be This is necessary before leaving for Dubai.