India didn’t just take an unassailable 2-0 lead in three-match ODI series against England in Cuttack, but the second game also witnessed Rohit Sharma regaining his mojo with a blazing hundred. Although Rohit was in fine form in Sri Lanka, in the ODIs, the selectors, think-tank and the player himself would have had a sigh of relief. After all, even if his run of poor scores came in the red-ball format, it would have affected him mentally.
Despite Rohit regaining his confidence, India have to look at the viability of a few nuts and bolts ahead of the Champions Trophy. At RevSportz, we list them out.
What about having two left-arm spinners in the Champions Trophy?
Yes, both Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja have contributed in different ways in the series. Axar is your quintessential utility cricketer in limited-overs. He showcased his value with the bat by compiling a couple of handy knocks. In both those innings, it was quite evident that Axar was adept at playing spin. Meanwhile, Jadeja put on an exhibition of his ability to impart side-spin at pace and befuddle the batters with the straighter-one.
However, the bigger picture to emerge is can India afford to pick both of them against their opponents in the Champions Trophy? For instance, Jadeja averages a whopping 81.75 with the ball versus New Zealand and almost 40 against Pakistan. Even against Bangladesh, he averages a modest 34.5. So, from those stats, it is clear that India’s opponents in the Champions Trophy are comfortable playing his left-arm orthodox spin. Axar too hasn’t found much success versus Bangladesh and New Zealand. Meanwhile, he is yet to go up against Pakistan in ODIs.
Most likely both spinners would be in the starting XI for India’s opening encounter versus Pakistan. But if the combination doesn’t work, then India might add some mystery to the spin attack, in the form of either Kuldeep or if selected Varun Chakaravrthy.
What about Harshit Rana?
It increasingly looks like Jasprit Bumrah won’t make it to the Champions Trophy. Harshit seems to be India’s choice to replace him in the main squad. So, how did the seamer go about his business in the ongoing ODIs in India?
He once again showcased his ability to take crucial wickets with his hit-the-deck skills. Harshit also has a good wrist snap. As a result, he bowls at a good burst of pace and extracts just enough movement. He also has a variation or two up his sleeve. On the flip side, Harshit is inexperienced and perhaps lacks bowling smarts. However, by picking Harshit for the England ODIs and giving him a couple of chances, India have earmarked him as the likely choice to replace Bumrah, if the pace-spearhead is ruled out.
The Asian side also would be sweating a bit on Mohammed Shami’s form. The veteran seamer, who has returned to competitive cricket after a lengthy lay-off due to injury, looked in decent rhythm in the two ODIs. But he seems to have lost a bit of nip and is struggling with his line while bowling to the left-hander. With Bumrah all set to be ruled out, the onus would be on Shami to lead the attack.