The Indian limited overs squad was announced yesterday for the tour of England and Ireland.
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Inclusion of Ambati Rayudu and Siddharth Kaul in the ODI team(Kaul has made it to the T20 squad as well) grabbed the headlines. The duo have been late bloomers, and their selection sends out a message that age isn’t a factor while considering players for the Indian cap.
Ambati Rayudu has had his chances in the blue jersey over time, but this will be Siddharth Kaul’s maiden tour for a senior Indian side. He belongs to the U-19 world cup winning batch of 2008, wherein he played a pivotal role with the ball.
However, amidst all the talk about new players coming into the side, there have also been concerns about the end of the road for a few of India’s former limited overs stars.
Ashwin and Jadeja find themselves on the sidelines ever since that Champions Trophy final loss. Virat Kohli and the Indian management have invested in wrist spinners and their faith has paid off as both Chahal and Kuldeep have bamboozled batsmen all over the globe(and in varying conditions).
MSK Prasad hasn’t ruled out Jadeja and Ashwin from India’s 2019 WC plans, but emphasises on the fact that the two youngsters grabbed their opportunities when the team management decided to entrust them with the role of the ‘premier limited overs spinners’.
“When they were excluded from the side, we made it very clear that two to three youngsters are being given an opportunity. It makes sense to give them a long rope. If you see the number of wickets, Chahal-Kuldeep has taken in the last year or so, it’s very heartening. And they have kept on improving game after game. It makes sense to continue with them when they are winning games for us at home and abroad.” MSK Prasad said.
Prasad also provided an update on when the Indian Test specialists will travel to England for the Test series.
“We did discuss it. We had a meeting with Virat and Ravi Shastri and also Dravid. Some of the Test specialists like Wriddhiman Saha, Murali Vijay and Mohammed Shami. They will join us for the third India-A game. From there they will go and play against Essex and continue with the Test team.” he said, as quoted by Sportsstar
