It only takes a day… It’s possible that some of
India’s best players are thinking, “All we got was one day.” I mean
at home. They are back on the road in Mohali, where India starts a three-ODI
series against Australia on September 22, following a successful Asia Cup
campaign in Sri Lanka.
There have been both good and forced headaches in
their lead-up to the series. The management of the squad is, however, at least
optimistic that the injured players would be ready for India’s World Cup
campaign, which gets underway on October 8 in Chennai, again against Australia.
Axar Patel, India’s third frontline spinner behind
Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja, is currently the biggest worry. Axar is
recuperating from a left quadriceps strain he sustained during a Super Four
match between Bangladesh and the Asia Cup last week. Axar is essential to India’s ambitions
because, as he demonstrated in the match against Bangladesh, he provides
batting depth at No. 8. Axar, however, struggled at the Asia Cup with the ball.
In the Super Four match against Sri Lanka, he was the only Indian bowler to go
wicketless in a 213-run defend on a dry turner. This was due to his lack of
bite on some advantageous surfaces. There is no reason to think India wouldn’t
want Axar at the World Cup, though.
In the event that he isn’t, India will probably select
from Washington Sundar or R Ashwin, both of whom have been selected for the
ODIs against Australia.
Washington can bowl at various points in an inning, is
accurate, and has control. Similar qualities to Ashwin, yet there is a
distinction. Ashwin has always participated in some capacity in cricket; on
Tuesday, he travelled to Chennai to play for a local team in a 50-over match
before continuing on to Mohali. Over the previous three years, Washington’s
conditioning has frequently failed him down.
The management of the organisation has been working on
Washington for a while now, ever since they identified him as an all-rounder
who could bat in the top five. He currently provides everything that Axar does
in the lower order, which would give him the upper hand if Ashwin and him
engage in a shootout.
In the first two ODIs, it would also be interesting to
see if Ishan Kishan openers in place of Rohit. How Shreyas Iyer, who appears to
have completed the most of the tasks required of him to demonstrate his
fitness, and Suryakumar Yadav perform in the middle of the sequence.
Although it’s doubtful that the selectors are
considering the future just yet, KL Rahul’s performance as captain will also be
important.
The earlier this year ODI series between India and
Australia was seen as the beginning of the decisive run of contests leading up
to the World Cup. Before the teams’ crucial meeting in Chennai in just over two
weeks, this series will serve as a warm-up.